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Elizabeth Laird


UK flag (b.1943)

Elizabeth Laird, a well-respected and award-winning author of children's picture books and easy readers, is best known for her novels for young adults. Her most widely read book, Loving Ben--published in England as Red Sky in the Morning--tells about a young girl caring for her hydrocephalic baby brother. The novel was a critical success upon publication in 1989, and has continued to be a favorite in classrooms around the world. A prolific writer, Laird has paired a love of travel with a love for books in a long list of novels about Muslim countries, the Middle East, and East Africa. Her Kiss the Dust deals with the realties of a Kurdish rebellion in Iraq; Forbidden Ground is set in a nameless North African country and deals with a young girl coming to grips with moral issues; the "Wild Things" series is set in Kenya and Ethiopia and feature a core cast of characters who deal with wildlife issues in each volume.
 

Genres: Children's Fiction, Young Adult Fiction
 
Series
Zippi & Zac
   Arctic Blues (1989)
   The Grand Ostrich Ball (1989)
   Gopher Gold (1989)
   High Flyers (1989)
   Kookaburra Cackles (1990)
   Peacock Palace Scoop (1990)
   Zippi and Zac and the Grand Ostrich Ball (1991)
   Dolly Rockers (1992)
   Pandemonium (1992)
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Wild Things
   Baboon Rock (1999)
   Leopard Trail (1999)
   Elephant Thunder (1999)
   Rhino Fire (1999)
   Red Wolf (1999)
   Zebra Storm (1999)
   Parrot Rescue (2000)
   Turtle Reef (2000)
   Chimp Escape (2000)
   Lion Pride (2000)
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Novels
   Red Sky in the Morning (1988)
   Crackers (1989)
   Arcadia (1990)
   Kiss the Dust (1991)
   Pink Ghost of Lamont (1991)
   Hiding Out (1993)
   Secret Friends (1996)
   The Listener (1997)
   Jay (1997)
   Forbidden Ground (1997)
   On the Run (1997)
   Karen and the Artist (1999)
   Eddy and the Movie Star (1999)
   Jake's Tower (2001)
   The Ice Cream Swipe (2003)
   The Garbage King (2003)
   A Little Piece of Ground (2003)
   Paradise End (2004)
   Secrets of The Fearless (2005)
   Oranges in No Man's Land (2006)
   Crusade (2007)
   Lost Riders (2008)
   The Witching Hour (2009)
   The Betrayal of Maggie Blair (2011)
   The Prince Who Walked With Lions (2012)
   The Fastest Boy in the World (2014)
   Dindy and the Elephant (2015)
   Welcome to Nowhere (2017)
   Song of the Dolphin Boy (2018)
   A House Without Walls (2019)
   The Misunderstandings of Charity Brown (2022)
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Collections
   Best of Friends (1997) (with others)
   Hot Rock Mountain (2004)
   A Fistful of Pearls (2008)
   Pea Boy (2009)
   The Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings (2012)
   The Lure of the Honey Bird (2013)
   Two Crafty Jackals (2014)
   A Wisp of Wisdom (2016) (with others)
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Novellas and Short Stories
   House On the Hill (1978)
   The Earthquake (2018)
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Anthologies edited
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Picture Books show
 
Elizabeth Laird recommends
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As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow (2022)
Zoulfa Katouh
"Zoulfa Katouh writes from the heart about the Syria she knows and loves. She tells with an authentic voice one of the great and most tragic stories of our time. The tender love story at the heart of the novel humanises the horrors of war and the shocking tragedy that has befallen Syria. This is an important book. Everyone should read it."
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Lost (2020)
Ele Fountain
"Lost is a breathless, thrilling adventure, a story to make your heart beat faster. Lola is a wonderful girl, resourceful, brave and loyal, and I desperately wanted her to find her way home."

Awards
Blue Peter Book Award Book of the Year nominee (2004) : The Garbage King
Costa Children's Book Award Best Novel nominee (2007) : Crusade
Carnegie Medal Best Book nominee (2008) : Crusade
Carnegie Medal Best Book nominee (2015) : The Fastest Boy in the World


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