Trash by Andy Mulligan and the first ever give away!

Sorry for the long absences but there have been new adventures afoot in our house of which more will be undoubtedly discussed as the year draws to a close. I could not pass up the opportunity to review a book for Kiwi Mummy Blogs however and so this blog brings to you not only my opinion of the book Tash by Andy Mulligan but also the chance to win a copy! How exciting is that? So without further ado here are my thoughts on this novel.

Trash 

This novel was written for children 12+ years and it certainly is an eye opener. If you love Millions by Frank Cottrell Boyce or Slumdog Millionaire (Q+A by Vikas Swarup) then this book will undoubtedly appeal.

The story is told by a number of narrators, mainly three young "dumpsite" boys, all contributing their memories about the drama that unfolds. Raphael is the first character we meet and he introduces us to the world in which they live, a place called Behala where the inhabitants shift through tons of rubbish each day looking for things that can be recycled and turned into enough money to live off. It is a world away from the comforts that we are used to and Mulligan writes in such an enticing and colourful way that it is easy to picture the places he describes.

One day Raphael is sifting through the rubbish like normal when he comes across a bag, inside the bag is a wallet filled with eleven hundred pesos, a photo and an ID, a folded up map, and a key. Little does he know that this key is going to take him and his two friends on a dangerous adventure with the police at their heels and one of the most well know political figures in the country wanting their head on a platter.

What did I think?

As I have already noted I found it easy to immerse myself in this book. He writes in a manner that is unpretentious and before you know it you are 50 pages in and want to know what happens. I enjoyed it for the simple reason that the setting intrigued me. It is the first time I have read a young adult's book that has been set in an environment such as this and it does make me wonder if children in New Zealand realise just how lucky they are. The idea of sifting through mountains of rubbish every day full of human excrement is just so alien to us and our way of living.

The characters are developed JUST enough so that you get an idea of their world and how they feel about things, unfortunately I didn't think they were developed enough to make me truly care about them. I think this could have been worked on a bit more as there were plenty of opportunities to delve more into their lives, especially the character Junjun (Rat) but this is never done. 

I also love that the politics of a place are being pulled into question, as the age group that this novel is aimed at are old enough to start asking questions about corruption and how money so often leads to people's suffering through greed. It's a story about how little people when given the opportunity, no matter the risks, can make a positive difference to the world.

Definitely worth a read.

Here's a cute little teaser as well: Trash

So how can you win your copy.

Due to postage costs this give away is open to New Zealand residents only. To win your own copy of Trash by Andy Mulligan just tell me the name of your favourite children's book in the comments box.

Happy reading.