Running on the Roof of the World

February 1, 2018

Gr 5-8-In a small Tibetan village controlled by Chinese soldiers, Tashi-la (Tash) and her family must hide their Buddhist beliefs or risk imprisonment. A door-to-door search for dissidents ensues after a street protester sets himself on fire, and Tash's parents are frantic. They push her out a window with a backpack of important papers and tell her to run. Their fate in jeopardy, Tash is certain the Dalai Lama will help, but it is a dangerous journey across a mountain pass to India, where he rules in exile. Undeterred, Tash recruits her school friend, Sam, and borrows two yaks, Eve and Bones, to help carry gear and navigate deep snow. A neighbor cuts Tash's hair to disguise her as a boy for safety. Compounding the fear of being captured or robbed by unfriendly nomads is Tash's uncertainty about her parents' involvement in the resistance. Why are the flyers in the backpack so important? Is there a secret message? Can she trust Sam? At first, readers will wonder if the time period is current, as the culture in this isolated agricultural area exists with few vehicles and little connection to the outside world. Information about Tibet is appended, but many facts are integrated into the story regarding the Dalai Lama's teachings and his forced exile more than 50 years ago. VERDICT The unique setting and Buddhist perspective adds depth to this page-turning adventure. A strong choice for middle grade collections.-Vicki Reutter, State University of New York at Cortland

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2018
A Tibetan girl and her friend find themselves on a quest through the Himalayas. Twelve-year-old narrator Tashi's small Tibetan village is suffering under the heel of the Chinese military. After one of the villagers publicly sets himself on fire to protest the harshness of the occupation (a graphic event that continues to haunt Tash through the book and might well haunt readers), soldiers come to arrest Tash's parents as suspected dissidents. Tash and her best friend, Samdup, barely escape, taking with them the illegal resistance leaflets and a coded letter her journalist dad gives her. With their two borrowed yaks, the two children are determined to make the long, dangerous trek through the Himalayas into India to seek help from the Dalai Lama, who is living there in exile. Short chapters and simple sentence structure keep the pages turning. The tale diligently provides details of Tibetan daily life, customs, and culture, and it appropriately raises questions about freedom, occupation, and exile. However, sometimes the characters' voices sound very Western, and readers familiar with the culture may wonder at the yaks' Western names, the characters' nicknames, and their use of Western rather than Tibetan address for their parents. Plot-driven conveniences and a tidy ending further undercut the story's realism. A brief bulleted list of facts concludes the story, but there is no map--an absence readers may feel.This story of friendship, courage, and survival is an imperfect peek into the Tibetan culture and way of life. (Adventure. 10-14)

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March 15, 2018
Grades 5-8 In Tash's Tibetan village, the practice of Buddhism is forbidden, and Chinese soldiers keep a close watch on the town to enforce the rules. But Tash's parents are secretly part of a rebellion, and when they are captured after a public protest, it's up to Tash to journey to India with her best friend, Sam, to seek help from the Dalai Lama himself. With nothing but two trusty yaks and some papers from Tash's parents, Tash and Sam set out on a perilous journey through the Himalayan mountains. Readers should start this book with at least a slight understanding of the sociopolitical situation of Tibet, as nothing is explained in detail in the story. However, short chapters make the story flow smoothly, without a pause in the action, and Butterworth's rich descriptions give readers a feeling of really being in these places with Tash and Sam. This unique debut novel is perfect for inspiring anyone who, like the dedication says, has ever felt too small to make a difference. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)