Malini (Through My Eyes)

Description

Malini lives with her parents and young sister, Banni, in northern Sri Lanka. As the civil war heads towards its catastrophic end, Malini and her family are herded by Tamil Tiger troops towards the coast where they and thousands of other Tamil civilians will act as human shields. When Malini's father pushes a phone into her hands and tells her to run off into the forest with Banni, Malini does as she is told. But then the shelling begins, and Malini has no way of finding her mother and father. With the role of parent thrust upon her, Malini has no choice but to travel to her grandfather's village a long way inland. She and Banni will need to keep off the highways and stay alert for soldiers. But where will the next meal come from? Who can they trust? Where will they shelter? And will they ever be reunited with their parents again?

Awards

Commended for Children's Book Council of Australia Awards: Book of the Year - Young Readers 2015. Shortlisted for CLL Educational Publishing Awards: Best Book or Series in Primary Publishing 2015.

Reviews

"A beautifully done and very important series." Deborah Ellis, author, "The Breadwinner""

Author description

Robert Hillman's autobiography, The Boy in the Green Suit, won the Australian National Biography Award for 2005. His 2007 biography, My Life as a Traitor, was written with Zarah Ghahramani. He collaborated with Najaf Mazari for The Rugmaker of Mazar-e-Sharif and The Honey Thief. He is also the author of a biography of blind indigenous musician Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, Gurrumul: His Life and Music, and the novel Joyful.