Product Description

Twelve-year-old Anna is looking forward to the birth of her baby brother. Ben arrives, but is disabled and will never be like other children. Anna loves him with her whole heart but she finds herself unable to admit the truth of Ben's condition to her school friends. Eventually the truth gets out and leads not to the ridicule Anna expected, but sympathy and understanding.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #202458 in Books
• Published on: 2006-10-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

About the Author

Elizabeth Laird was born in New Zealand and moved to England with her family when she was three. She went to school in Croydon, studied languages at Bristol and then Edinburgh University, and taught English in Malaysia, Ethiopia and India. She has written many books for children, including KISS THE DUST (winner of the Children’s Book Award), SECRET FRIENDS (nominated for the Carnegie Medal) and THE GARBAGE KING (shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal). She lives with her husband in Surrey.

Customer Reviews

A poignant and sensitive story which reflects human nature.
This book "Red Sky In The Morning" is a wonderfully touching book. It is brutally honest as the narrator reveals all her innermost thoughts to the readers and it becomes inceasingly difficult to put down as the storyline develops. In the opening stages, Anna is portrayed as a girl who is mature for her age and who wants to contribute to the family by helping out. However, even when her brother Ben is born physically handicapped she is undaunted and she shows even more care and concern for him. It also revolves around the thoughts of Anna's schoolmates and the society around her. This book is so fascinating in a sense that it reflects the harsh reality and unpredictability of human nature. People are not whom they seem to be on the surface. It is about the life of a normal, middle-class teenager whose life is extraordinary and filled with ups and downs. Anna matures a lot in the next few years and after Ben's tragic death as fate would have it, her life has a new twist when she meets Mrs Maynard and Jackie at Mrs Chapman's store. An incredibly real and touching story that will warm all readers hearts. The writing style of the author Elizabeth Laird is frank and easy to understand. I definitely recommend this book ! A superb read!

A touching book for all ages.
I've read it over and over again and still it brings a tear to my eye!The story deals with the complex emotions of a teenager dealing with the disability of her newly born brother, Ben.We also see how this affects other members of her family adjusting to a new baby, with problems. I enjoyed this book as we see the main character, Anna, progressing through her teenage years. Not only does the book sensatively approach the issue of disability but, school, bullying, friendships and the other problems with adolesence. The reader also gains a bond with baby Ben and we too feel as if he is a part of us. At times this autobiographical diary resembles Sue Townsends Adrian Mole , mostly because of the naivety of the central character, Anna. If you want compulsive reading this is the book for you. To summarise ''touching, realistic, funny, tear-jerker''Read it!it'll stay with you forever.

Review of Red Sky in the Morning
This story is about a girl called Anna. It unfolds with the delivery of her physically and mentally disabled baby brother, Benedict. Although Ben suffered from a disease called "Hydrocephalus" - the source of his disability and physical deformity, Anna loved him nonetheless, in fact, all the more. Further development in the story saw how she overcome and cope with the fear of facing and telling her friends and teachers about Ben's disability. Anna then developed a strong character and sense of maturity as she was able to see the world from a wider perspective. As Anna grew, she taught Ben things and met different kinds of people. Among these people was Tony Maynard, who Anna had a crush on in her younger days. She discovers something about him that she never knew.

I recommend this book as it has a very good and absorbing plot. It portrays the life of a very unique girl that I think it is worth knowing. To all book lovers- Read this book or you will regret it!