Ten-year-old Benedict is feeling happy. His family's
new home in Swaziland has the most beautiful garden in
the whole entire world, teeming with insects, frogs and
his favourite cinnamon-coloured birds. Here, crouched in
the cool shade of the lucky-bean tree, it's easy to
forget the loneliness that comes from his siblings
playing without him, easy to stop himself fretting about
how to fix his Mama's failing cake-baking business. Not
that Benedict generally allows sad or uncomfortable
things to cloud his day. Usually, he simply finds a way
to put things right. Like trying to learn the language
of his strange new country, to make himself feel less of
an outsider. Like persuading the people at Ubuntu
Funerals to provide a decent burial for the beautiful
hoopoe killed by their van. Or like being a friend to
Nomsa, a girl brave enough to pick up a spider but too
afraid to tell anyone why her teacher is making her stay
late after school. Of course, there are many things in
Africa that cannot be put right by a boy who isn't yet
big. But in Benedict's wonder-filled world, even the
ugliest situation has a certain magic.Warm, funny and
brimming with life, Where Hoopoes Go to Heaven paints a
fresh and compelling picture of life in Swaziland that
will capture your imagination and restore your faith in
humanity. |
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