There is a lion in our village and it is carrying away our children. Ather fathers funeral Bintis grandmother utters the words that no one inMalawi wants to hea... » 

There is a lion in our village and it is carrying away our children. Ather fathers funeral Bintis grandmother utters the words that no one inMalawi wants to hear. Bintis father and her mother before him dies of AIDS.Binti her sister and brother are separated and sent to the home of relativeswho can barely tolerate their presence. Ostracized by their extended familythe orphans are treated like the lowest servants. With her brother far away andher sister wallowing in her own sorrow Binti can hardly contain her rage. SheBinti Phirim was once a child star of a popular radio program. Now she isscraping to survive. Binti always believed she was special now she is nothingbut a common AIDS orphan. Binti Phiri is not about to give up. Even as sheclings to hope that her former life will be restored she must face a greaterchallenge. If she and her brother and sister are to reunited Binti Phiri willhave to look outside herself and find a new way to be special. Compellingand uplifting The Heaven Shop is a contemporary novel that puts a very realface on the African AIDS pandemic which todate has orphaned more than 11million African children. Inspired by a young radio performer the author metduring her research visit to Malawi Binti Phiri is a compelling character thatreaders will never forget. Awards and Nominations Ontario LibraryAssociations Golden Oak Award winner 2006 Winner of the 2005 Jane AddamsChildrens Book Award in the category of Honor Books for Older ChildrenShortlisted for the 2006 Alberta Childrens Choice Book Award A Manitoba YoungReaders Choice Awards Honour Book for 2006 Foreword Magazine 2004 Book ofthe Year Award finalist A Childrens Africana Book Awards CABA 2005 HonorBook for Older Readers A Canadian Childrens Book Centre Our Choice 2005 Ruth Sylvia Schwartz Childrens Book Award for Young AdultMiddle Reader BooksfinalistRed Maple Book Award nominee 2005 «