Running on the Roof of the World is set in the Himalayas, in a small country called Tibet. It’s about a girl called Tash, who runs away to find the Dalai Lama, hoping he can help her with her problem. She has some friends to help her along the way: Sam and two yaks. On the way they bump into some strangers and we are not sure if they are there to help or to hinder their journey. Will they make it to find the Dalai Lama? PDF / EPUB File Name: Running_on_the_Roof_of_the_World_-_Jess_Butterworth.pdf, Running_on_the_Roof_of_the_World_-_Jess_Butterworth.epub the folk song and cultural pride. I will always love when families share folk songs and talk about what their heritage means to them. It’s so wholesome.

The attitude and outlook of the Tibetan people is reflected in many of the characters in the book and it’s refreshing to read. Even though these characters endure hardship and persecution, there is always hope and a lot of love. Despite there being a clear “villain” in the shape of Chinese soldiers, there is rarely if ever a feeling of ill-will towards them from Tash or her neighbours. For other uses, see Roof of the World (disambiguation). Physical map of Central Asia from the Caucasus in the northwest, to Mongolia in the northeast. I had no idea what this book was about, but as I am in a group of English teachers who are reading for teaching about the environment, the group suggested we read this children’s book (ages 9-12) and since I saw it only took 3 or so hours to listen to, I did it. It’s no fault of the book that I discovered it is not so much an environmental book, it's mainly an adventure book, where two Tibetan kids, Tash and Sam, escape to India to try and get the Dalai Lama to free her parents. Children crossing the frigid Himalayas with two yaks and no adults.

About Jess Butterworth

The issues between Tibet and China are known but often aren't the forefront of news reports and stories so I think putting a topic like this into accessible children's literature is so important because it allows them to see what is happening through the eyes of someone a similar age to themselves. It can open lots of doors, not just in literacy but in things like PSHE and history as well to further expand their knowledge of these issues. Tash and her best friend Sam live in rural Tibet (about 12 hours by road to Lhasa), sometime around now (about 50 years after the Dalai Lama fled to India). We’re not given much more information than that. And perhaps that was the seed of my unease with the book. So much of a modern Tibetan’s perspective is shaped by exactly where and when they live. Sir Thomas Edward Gordon, The Roof of the World: being a narrative of a journey over the high plateau of Tibet to the Russian frontier and the Oxus sources on Pamir, Edinburgh: Edmonston and Douglas, 1876 this is exactly what I’m looking for with RAtW books. It covers a human story over geographic terrain in the context of some great conflict. THIS is the formula I’ve been seeking. can these kids PLEASE catch a break. It took me longer to read this than expected because it was just. So. Heavy. I mean, it is a book about suppression of people and like,,, military presence and kids traveling alone across mountains to find safety so I probably should’ve *expected* it to be heavy. But I didn’t. And I was *walloped* by it. I had to keep taking breaks to remind myself that the kids will probably be fine. I’ve read some heavy stuff, but this one really weighed on me. I just wish it had been broken up with some lighthearted moments.

This thrilling adventure story is about kindness, hope, friendship and the power of one person to make a difference. All of which seem to me to be pretty good messages to send to the many young people who will undoubtedly be reading this book. The chapters are short and punchy. The opening of each is decorated with a wonderful mandala styled illustration, it’s like gathering a collection of glorious rewards as you continue with Tash and Sam on their journey. A big part of Tash realising that there's far more going on in the world than she knows is because a man in her village sets himself on fire in protest. And it's brought up several times in the course of the story. But an explanation as to WHY someone might do something like that and an emphasis that it's not something that should be encouraged as a form of protest doesn't come until right at the end of the book. And given that it's a middle grade book, I wanted that stuff to come a liiiiiittle bit sooner.The cover from Rob Biddulph is just stunning. The rich colour combinations of reds, oranges and yellows reflecting the vividness of the narrative inside. We were now about to cross the famous 'Bam-i-Dunya', 'The Roof of the World' under which name the elevated region of the hitherto comparatively unknown Pamir tracts had long appeared in our maps.[...] Wood, in 1838, was the first European traveler of modern times to visit the Great Pamir,". [3] Plus, two of the central characters are yaks and, if you ask me, we need more yaks in modern fiction. This story features the conflict between China and Tibet, specifically Chinese oppression of the Dalai Lama's followers. There are also chance encounters that strain credibility and require a HUGE leap of faith by the reader, but that’s basically par for the course in middle-grade books that chart epic journeys such as this. I can forgive the “convenient” plot twists, but I can’t get past these issues of basic geography.

There have been almost 150 cases of self-immolation protests among Tibetans in China since 2009. Not since China invaded in 1950 or since the Tibetan uprising in 1959 but in just the last 10 years!

Was it because the book wasn’t written by an Asian (let alone a Tibetan) but rather a white author? Partially; I won’t lie. That did give me pause. But I was willing to overlook that fact if the story were well researched or informed by real experiences. It was something else. I hope there will be a sequel to come because Running on the Roof of the World was possibly one of the best books I have ever read.