A Little Piece of Ground

Outside the home of the Aboudi family in the Palestinian city of Ramallah, an Israeli tank blocks the street. Armed troops have kept the inhabitants inside for two weeks. Twelve year old Karim, unable to play football with his friends, or escape from his unbearable older brother, is about to go crazy.

When the curfew ends, Karim and his mates make an exciting find - a piece of waste ground that's great for a new football pitch, with its own special hideout. But their secret den becomes a terrifying death-trap when the soldiers with guns return.

A Little Piece of Ground is an exciting story that brings to life the experiences of an ordinary boy living through one of the most difficult and tragic conflicts in our world today.

I first visited Israel in 1968, and enjoyed a warm welcome from many Israeli friends. Later, I lived in Beirut with my husband and son during the civil war there, and became aware for the first time of the tragedy of the Palestinian refugees. I visited both Gaza and Ramallah, in the occupied territories, in 2002, while leading workshops for Palestinian writers. I was appalled by the circumstances in which people were living, and became aware that we in the West know very little of what life is like for Palestinians living under military occupation.

I have written A Little Piece of Ground in collaboration with Sonia Nimr, a Palestinian archaeologist, storyteller, writer and translator, who lives in Ramallah. We have tried to make our story as true to life as we can.

Winner of the Hampshire Book Award

Shortlisted for the Southern Schools Book Award