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Winner of the Canadian Library Association Book of the Year Award for Children, the Society of School Librarians International Best Book Award and a Jane Addams Children's Book Award Honor Book
Ever since she was a little girl, Amani has wanted to be a shepherd, just like her beloved grandfather, Sido. For generations her family has grazed sheep above the olive groves of the family homestead near Hebron, and she has been steeped in Sido's stories, especially one about a secret meadow called the Firdoos, where the grass is lush and the sheep grow fat, and about the wolf that once showed him the path there.
But now Amani's family home is being threatened by encroaching Jewish settlements. As she struggles to find increasingly rare grazing land for her starving sheep, her uncle and brother are tempted to take a more militant stance against the settlers. Then she accidentally meets Jonathan, an American boy visiting his settler father.
Away from the pressures of their families, the two young people discover Sido's secret meadow, the domain of a lone wolf. And Amani learns that she must share the meadow, and even her sheep, with the wolf, if she is going to continue to use it.
About this Author
Anne Laurel Carter has a Master of Education and has worked as a teacher-librarian. She has published nearly twenty books, including The Shepherd's Granddaughter, winner of the Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award and the Society of School Librarians International Best Book Award. It was also named a Jane Addams Children's Book Award Honor Book, an IRA Notable Book for a Global Society and a USBBY Outstanding International Book. Under a Prairie Sky, illustrated by Alan and Lea Daniel, won the Mr. Christie's Book Award. Anne divides her time between Toronto and Riverport, Nova Scotia.
Reviews
...One of the very few YA novels attempting to tackle the subject of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The sympathies of the novel are consistently apparent, yet its strong polemical element never overwhelms its more general human interest elements. The story balances an economical style with a well paced presentation of Amani's growth in body and in perspective, her discovery of her gender and its implications for her aspirations, and her discovery of her skills, both as a shepherd and as a student.
...a hard - hitting, thought-provoking, troublesome book. The Shepherd's Granddaughter centres upon the issue of Israeli-Palestinian relations and the on-going conflict over land...Carter's work provides an opportunity for middle and high school readers to gain further information about their world...
...sensitively portray[s] many viewpoints and issues in this thoughtful and simply written story...*...the beauty lies in the questioning that remains long after the story ends.*
Carter strikes a splendid balance in character development, portraying both parties' flaws while demonstrating Palestinian sympathies. Background and cultural information are seamlessly woven into the narrative, which is written simply and clearly in a skillful depiction of a sensitive situation.
Information-packed but never didactic...The integration of Arabic and Hebrew words adds flavor to the text...Fluid writing and straightforward storytelling make this a pleasure to read, despite the sensitive subject matter. Thoughtful and engaging.
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