Oranges in No Man's Land

by Elizabeth Laird

Since her father left Lebanon to find work and her mother tragically died in a shell attack, ten-year-old Ayesha has been living in the bomb-ravaged city of Beirut with her granny and her two younger brothers. The city has been torn in half by civil war and a desolate, dangerous no mans land divides the two sides. Only militiamen and tanks dare enter this deadly zone, but when Granny falls desperately ill Ayesha sets off on a terrifying journey across no mans land to reach a doctor living in enemy territory.

Genres: Historical Fiction, War, Fiction, Childrens, School, Middle Grade, Novels

116 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Laird was born in New Zealand in 1943, the fourth of five children. Her father was a ship's surgeon; both he and Laird's mother were Scottish. In 1945, Laird and her family returned to Britain and she grew up in South London, where she was educated at Croydon High School.
When she was eighteen, Laird started teaching at a school in Malaysia. She decided to continue her adventurous life, even though she was bitten by a poisonous snake and went down with typhoid.

After attending the university in Bristol, Laird began teaching English in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She and a friend would hire mules and go into remote areas in the holidays.

After a while at Edinburgh University, Laird worked in India for a summer. During travel, she met her future husband, David McDowall, who she said was very kind to her when she was airsick on a plane. The couple were married in 1975 and have two sons, Angus and William.

Laird has also visited Iraq and Lebanon. She claims to dislike snakes, porridge and being cold but enjoys very dark chocolate, Mozart, reading and playing the violin in the Iraq Symphony Orchestra.

She currently lives in Richmond, London with her husband.

Reviews

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 3 out of 5]

In my focus on the Middle East I'm trying to read a wide range of authors, publishers, and genres. This one is about the civil war in Lebanon, targeted at middle grade readers. I'm not sure I'd want to hand a book to a child of this age that includes death of a parent, fear of death, etc, but I know the argument is probably that the children living it don't get a choice. What do those of you who parent or teach think? (The last two lines of the first chapter are a bomb dropping and "I never saw my mother again." The female main character is left with an ailing grandparent, two younger siblings, no money or food, and the only person who can take care of the members of her family.)

[Boston · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[KHATÚN · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ending was not what I expected but I swear was such a brilliant read. Nearly had me in tears

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

they made me read this when i was 10 :)

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is about a little girl, Ayesha, who dares to venture through a war zone in Beirut to fetch medicine for her sick grandmother. The larger picture, however, is a disturbing view of civil war in Lebanon, of ordinary people whose lives are disrupted, impoverished and left homeless and hungry. Laird makes it clear that it's governments that are behind this, and not the ordinary people, who just want to be left in peace to work, play, and go to school. I can't imagine growing up under such conditions, living in bombed out buildings, with never enough to eat, and never knowing when the bombs will fall and guns will start firing. In Beirut during this civil war, the "green line" divides the city into two sections--the bombed out ruins held by those from southern Lebanon, and the rest of the city, where people are living life as usual, held by those from northern Lebanon. The contrast between the two is startling. Ayesha looks like the people from northern Lebanon, but her accent betrays her southern roots. Luckily for her, she has learned sign language from her deaf friend Samar, and can pass for deaf, thereby avoiding speech. She makes it to Dr. Leila's house, and gets the medicine, but will she be able to make it back through the war zone and home? Dr. Leila's last words to Ayesha hold the solution to Lebanon's troubles, if only people would listen, "Don't grow up to hate anybody." Highly recommended!

[Sonja Charters · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a brilliant quick read!

I'm pretty sure that I had this in my kindle from when the kids were at school and they were studying this book.
What a great little story to use as a topic aid.

This told the story of wartime Lebanon and a little girl who lived just away from the border.

After her father went off to fight, they lost their house in the bombing and her mother was killed, Ayesha and her 2 brothers and Gran, found themselves helped by a group surviving in one of the bombed out buildings.
There, life was tough, but she found a friend in Samar and it was lovely to see how their friendship developed.

When Gran's medicine ran out, Ayesha decided to cross through the border and no man's land to the other side to get more medicine.
This journey was so dangerous.

I loved how determined Ayesha was to help her Gran.
As silly as the idea was, she fought her fear with only one thing on her mind.

When she found Dr Leila and was helped, it really showed the futility of war.
The people (in general) wanted to help others - they couldn't see the difference between them and just treated each other as human beings - which is how it should be!

This was well written and was interesting, informative and exciting, conveying the danger and hardship throughout.

A great little quick read.

[Suha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A small sandwich of butter and salt. This is a short novel I bought when the author Elizabeh Laird came for a visit to Beirut to talk about her writing journey. The content is not that outstanding; it is a story about a little girl during the civil war in Beirut, I suppose the novel is targeted to an audience of 10-18 year olds. The style is beautiful though and the descriptive technique she has is captivating. It is beautifully simple and I loved the small details especially the friendship with Samar; on the other hand, I don’t think the book reflects honestlty a usual story of a child surviving the civil war in Beirut.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very short book which I read in less than an hour. I really enjoyed the story, although the plot is similar to other war books.

[Nishil · Rating 5 out of 5]

So emotional. A girl named Ayesha is going through war in Lebanon. Her mum gets killed as the house gets bombed. She crosses no man’s land to find medicine for her granny. This is a true story that happened to Elizabeth Laird. Too shocking to be true.

[The Bibliognost Bampot · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very sad story about normal, happy life being suddenly ripped apart by civil war. well written and insightful, thoughtfully crafted for the target audience, hopefully getting the message across, it could happen anywhere to any of us.

[Mohammed · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very interesting book and you should a part two

[Razan Yaqoub · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing story told briefly but so vivid at the same time.you can read it in only one sitting .recommended

[cian caughey]

Amazing

[BéaBess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book

[BLAIR GRAHAM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful little 3.8. Fantastic kids book that my nieces recommended. Navigates traumatic issues with warmth, sensitivity and pace.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short but powerful

My rating: 7.5/10
Class rating: 2.78/5 (really mixed response but we did read it in a bit of a rush to finish before the hols so ...)

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this boo this is on of the best books I read it really touched me this was the first book I cried at

[Adrian Dahlquist · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oranges In No Man’s Land by Elizabeth laird is a personal account told by the main character ten year old Ayesha. as told by Ayesha, the story begins two weeks after an air raid and civilians were forced to leaver their homes in search if refuge. That day, Ayesha, her brothers, and her granny fled their home minutes before it was destroyed by a bomb. Sadly, Ayesha’s mother did not make it out in time. With their mother dead and their father out of the country in search of jobs, Ayesha and her brothers only had their granny to look after them. Yet, Ayesha knew that her grandmas hip was failing and so was her health thus, she was going to have to take on more responsibility that most ten year old girls should. Luckily, after sleeping in alleyways her brother found refugees living a flat that had once been a family home. There, Ayesha and her family were welcomed by Mrs. Zainab and her daughter Samar. things began to look up for Ayesha, her family was together and safe along with the refugees living the flat; everyone supported each other and cared for one another. Yet, after two years living in the flat, her grandmother’s health began to take the turn for the worst and she was out of medication. All of the people living in her flat looked after Ayesha and her family with concern for they knew that granny would not survive long if she did receive medical attention. In fear for her grandmother’s health and in fear of the idea of raising her brothers without her grandmother’s support, Ayesha decides she must take matters into her own hands and save her grandma. And so, conscience of the dangers ahead, Ayesha sets off to cross the green line, or the forbidden barrier dividing the city and its people by herself.
I really enjoyed the inspiring story about Ayesha and her family. Until reading oranges in no man’s land, I was unfamiliar with the tragedies in Lebanon. I could not imagine being ten years old and taking on Ayesha’s responsibilities. Taking care of her infant brother as if her were her own and making and acting on adult decisions in order to save her grandmothers life.
As a teacher, I would use this book in my classroom because many students have no access to them or have limited taste. Thus, they are not exposed to the diverse cultures and daily lives of characters outside of the United States.

[Matthew · Rating 2 out of 5]

Set in the war-torn streets of Beirut, Oranges In No Man's Land is, despite a seemingly dark, depressing and melancholy story, actually of an overwhelmingly optimistic nature and, as Ayesha jumps about like a young leveret, you are taught the valuable lesson of compassion, however lacking in depth the thinly sketched story actually is. The writing is perfect for the age group, dealing with the indescribably sorrowful hardships of war with a cheery tone, and it is not too scary for the younger ones. But for anyone who is not interested in a cheerful outlook on war, the story will, unfortunately, fall inevitably and disappointingly short. No matter how hard I try, I can't give it any more praise, since it is lacking in depth, length, credible characterizations and a really good writing style.

[Gerard Insa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Molt bon llibre per nens que es llegeix en un parell de dies. Narra la història d'una nena i la seva família en mig de la guerra civil del Líban. Inspira i sembra consciència sobre la realitat de les guerres.

[Faye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book!

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quick read about Ayesha who runs through war-torn Beirut to get medicine for her grandmother. It's a good story set in an area we read very little about.

[Anna Kerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous book, thoroughly enjoyed it!

[4teenliars · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so good I have read it about 10 million times as it is very emotional and amazing.There is no age to this book as everyone will understand the story

[Olga HL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oranges in No Man's Land is set in Lebanon during the Civil War. Elizabeth Laird writes about difficult subjects from the child's point of view. War, refugees, shelter, disability, abuse. The main character Ayesha has no idea why her country is at war. She and her family are forced to leave their home and become refugees. Ayesha's father is out of the country and her mother is killed by bomb. Ayesha, her two younger brothers and her grandmother live in the corner of the flat shared with many other families. Even in such conditions there is a place for friendship, mercy, compassion and heroism. Though it is a short book to develop the characters too much, the reader really feel for Ayesha when she tries to run across war-torn Beirut to get medicines to save her grandmother's life.

My child have read this story in the school. So I have read it together with him. And i think it is important that children read about children just like them, but who become refugees and have to suffer the horrors of war.

[Eleanor · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't really want to rate this book, because I don't think it necessarily had anything wrong with it. It is short and sweet, but I found it forgettable and a genre I find predictable.

I just feel like I've read it all before. It feels like any other classic war time story. Not to mention it's very short. It doesn't really even need to be a separate book by itself - it could almost be in a collection of short stories. The plot line is VERY straight forward, but that isn't necessarily bad, because its a short story.

I'm sorry. I think it's just me. I just don't really like the genre at all. The writing felt the same as it always does in this type of book, the protagonist had no originality to any other I've read about, and nothing about this book amazes me.

I feel like I might be being unfair, but this is just my opinion. It's such a short book I can really say much more on the matter, but I didn't connect to the characters and it wasn't very memorable.

[MrsB · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘What were they all fighting for?...sometimes I wonder if the fighters themselves knew what they were doing’

Oranges In No Man’s Land follows 10 year old Ayesha as she encounters the realities of war in Beirut, Lebanon. The bravery (or naive and bullheaded determination) she shows in order to save her remaining family is inspiring, terrifying and yet somehow typical of Primary school age children. I enjoyed reading Laird as a child because I felt that she understood the core thoughts and feelings of a child. Now, as an adult, I still find this the case, though I see the actions and feelings of her characters mirrored in my own daughter. Laird writes the novel with Ayesha looking back on events, so the book is constantly coloured by both the young Ayesha’s perspective, as well as the older one. This allows the reader to take comfort in knowing that she survives, whilst also providing a wide age range of readers with something to take from the book.

[Carmen Redding · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oranges In No Man’s Land is the story of one little girl’s love and courage in a city divided by an invisible Green Line during Lebanon’s Civil War. When Ayesha is left homeless and motherless after her flat is destroyed during a bombing, she has to assume responsibilities with which no child should be burdened.

To add insult to injury, her grandmother is ailing. For a while they find refuge with a family of squatters in a bombed out building, but when her grandmother’s health takes a turn for the worse, Ayesha is forced to cross the Green Line. During her quest she encounters all sorts of people. Some are helpers, some are haters, and most just want the war to end so that things can go back to a time when the city’s residents lived in peace with one another.

Short, heart rending and heart stopping, this is a slice of one family ‘s life in a war torn city, a thought provoking read that I highly recommend.

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elizabeth Laird is an excellent writer, I've never read any of her works previously and only read this through working in a school.

This story is a sympathetic and realistic story of a young girl in a war zone. It's been an excellent talking point with the kids at school as she's a relatable girl. But perhaps Elizabeth Laird has missed a trick because there are some very dark elements which were not developed because of the intended audience. That's a great pity because it would have made a whopping adult's novel.

The reason that I gave this 3 stars and not higher is that the ending happened so suddenly and felt disjointed. The major event to which the story builds towards was also a bit of a let down, even for a children's book. It just lacked any sort of punch.

Still, I enjoyed it nonetheless, and it was a lesson in good writing.

[Subhadra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story weaves through one day in the life of little Ayesha who is stuck in a war-torn Beirut. Ayesha is exceptional in her courage, her fortitude, her dedication and love for her grandmother, and her grit and determination to do what feels right to her. She disregards all the foreseeable danger that lurks and looms large at every step; danger which is nothing less than death or perhaps, even worse than death. 'What could be worse than death?' you might ask. For that, you will have to imagine being a seven year old running through desolate, war-shattered streets. For that, you will have to imagine risking life, limb, and dignity, for your grandmother. And when you inevitably ask yourself if you would have done the same were you in her shoes, you will know that you have found a part of yourself that you never knew existed.