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Running on the Roof of the World

Jess Butterworth

Subjects

  • Action Adventures - chills, thrills and plenty of spills

Average rating

4 out 5

Join 12-year-old Tash and her best friend Sam in a story of adventure, survival and hope, set in the vivid Himalayan landscape of Tibet and India. Filled with friendship, love and courage, this young girl's thrilling journey to save her parents is an ideal read for children aged 9-12. There are two words that are banned in Tibet. Two words that can get you locked in prison without a second thought. I watch the soldiers tramping away and call the words after them. 'Dalai Lama.' Tash has to follow many rules to survive in Tibet, a country occupied by Chinese soldiers. But when a man sets himself on fire in protest and soldiers seize Tash's parents, she and her best friend Sam must break the rules. They are determined to escape Tibet - and seek the help of the Dalai Lama himself in India. And so, with a backpack of Tash's father's mysterious papers and two trusty yaks by their side, their extraordinary journey across the mountains begins.

Reviews

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I really enjoyed this. It dealt with a topic I have not come across before in a children’s book and dealt with it in a sensitive way.

oxtedbookworm

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I was interested as this story as it is set in Chinese-occupied Tibet. We follow the story of two Buddhist children and their yaks as they attempt to escape over the Himalayan mountains to India with their yaks. A great adventure story, full of courage and compassion.

motherease

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Reach for your butter tea (or mutton momos) and travel with Tashi and Sam (and their borrowed yaks) over the peaks of Tibet 'the roof of the world' to seek an audience with the exiled Dalai Lama in India. A tale of courage, friendship, compassion, tradition and action, at times my heart was fluttering more than the prayer flags. This fast-moving narrative will engage readers aged 9+ although sensitive readers may be disturbed by the account of self-immolation.

sarahteacake

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This read really impacted on me and made me think about refugees and my own political views and opinions. There are some intense moments but they also really help to reflect and pull discussion points out of the reader. I loved the descriptions too!

rmcdonald

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