Three wishes - Deborah Ellis

This book is about the children of the war-torn Middle East. Deborah Ellis, author of the enormously popular Parvana, turns her attention to the children of Israel and Palestine, presenting their stories based on interviews done in the winter of 2002 while in Israel and Palestine. In a rehabilitation center for disabled children, twelve-year-old Nora says she loves the colour pink and chewing gum and explains that the wheels of her wheelchair are like her legs. Eleven-year-old Mohammad describes how his house was demolished by soldiers. And we meet twelve-year-old Salam, whose older sister walked into a shop in Jerusalem and blew herself up, killing herself and two people, and injuring twenty others. This simple and telling book allows children everywhere to see those caught in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as children just like themselves, but who are living far more difficult, dangerous lives. The text includes brief background information, black-and-white photographs taken by the author, a map, a glossary and suggestions for further reading.