The Garbage King is a story of two boys leading completely different lifestyles. Mamo and Dani couldn’t live different ways of life but, forced from their homes, their paths cross and the two boys become good friends. The two boys have to struggle with the hardness of life on the street, begging and constantly looking over their shoulders, frightened of police searching for them.

This book I would say is recommended for those of the ages twelve to fifteen of any gender. The book is well-written and includes a lot of descriptive truths about life in worse-off countries.

I really enjoyed the difference and depth of the characters. The companions they meet all have different backgrounds. The difference in each boy’s personality is brought out really well and I think that Elizabeth Laird has done really well to bring these out in an effective manner.

I think The Garbage King is really interesting and stands a very good chance of winning the Carnegie Award and having some national acclaim.

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