The British Army is circling the stronghold of the King of Abyssinia. Its mission is to rescue the British Envoy, held prisoner. Watching with terror and awe is the king's young son, Alamayu. He knows that his father is as brave as a lion, but the fighting is cruel and efficient. By the time it is over, Alamayu is left without parents, throne or friends. In a misguided attempt to care for him, the British take Alamayu to England. There he is befriended by the Queen herself and enrolled at Rugby College to become a 'proper' English gentleman. What the English see as an honour is, to this lonely Ethiopian prince, terrifying and brutal. This is Alamayu's story, seen through his eyes: the battle, the journey to England and the trauma of an English public school as he tries to come to terms with the hand that fate has dealt him.
**
Review
'[An} affecting novel ... entirely convincing' Books for Keeps 'A poignant historical novel' Independent on Sunday
About the Author
Elizabeth Laird is the award-winning author of many highly acclaimed novels and has been nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal five times. She and her husband divide their time between London and Edinburgh.
Description:
The British Army is circling the stronghold of the King of Abyssinia. Its mission is to rescue the British Envoy, held prisoner. Watching with terror and awe is the king's young son, Alamayu. He knows that his father is as brave as a lion, but the fighting is cruel and efficient. By the time it is over, Alamayu is left without parents, throne or friends. In a misguided attempt to care for him, the British take Alamayu to England. There he is befriended by the Queen herself and enrolled at Rugby College to become a 'proper' English gentleman. What the English see as an honour is, to this lonely Ethiopian prince, terrifying and brutal. This is Alamayu's story, seen through his eyes: the battle, the journey to England and the trauma of an English public school as he tries to come to terms with the hand that fate has dealt him.
**
Review
'[An} affecting novel ... entirely convincing' Books for Keeps 'A poignant historical novel' Independent on Sunday
About the Author
Elizabeth Laird is the award-winning author of many highly acclaimed novels and has been nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal five times. She and her husband divide their time between London and Edinburgh.