The Garbage King

Dani and Mamo should never have met.

In Ethiopia's great capital city, they have led unbelievably different lives. Dani's home is a grand house full of servants - Mamo has no home at all. But now both boys are on the run, one fleeing a tyrannical father, the other escaping the life of a slave labourer. Fate has brought them together, and their only chance of survival is to trust each other with their lives.

I lived and worked in Ethiopia during my twenties, and it became my favourite place in the world. Since then I've been back many times. During my visits I've got to know many kids who have lived on the streets of Addis Ababa; I've always been amazed by their courage, their ability to endure and the ways in which they help and support each other. A number of street children helped me to write this book. I'd like to say thank you to all of them.

Winner of the Scottish Arts Council Children's Book of the Year Award and the Stockport Book Award.

Shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal, the Blue Peter Award, the Salford Children's Book Award, the Calderdale Children's Book Award, the Lincolnshire Young People's Book Award, the Stockton Children's Book of the Year, the West Sussex Children's Book Award, the Portsmouth Book Award and the Sheffield Children's Book Award.