About this item
A stunning tour-de-force set in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake. "Shorty" is a Haitian boy trapped in the ruins of a hospital when the earth explodes around him. Surrounded by lifeless bodies and growing desperately weak from lack of food and water, death seems imminent. Yet as Shorty waits in darkness for a rescue that may never come, he becomes aware of another presence, one reaching out to him across two hundred years of history. It is the presence of slave and revolutionary leader Toussaint L'Ouverture, whose life was marred by violence, and whose own end came in darkness. What unites a child of the slums with the man who would shake a troubled country out of slavery? Is it the darkness they share . . . or is it hope?Winner of the 2013 Michael L.
About the Author
Nick Lake was born in Northumberland, England, but grew up in Luxembourg. As an author, Nick has won the Printz Award, for his novel In Darkness, and has been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal twice.Nick is also a publishing director for children's fiction, working with many of the best-known names in children's books. Nick lives in Oxfordshire with his family, in a 16th century house with 19th century windows. He advises against visiting in winter.
