This is the remarkable debut novel from Khaled Hosseini. Twelve year old Amir is desperate to win the approval of his father Baba one of the richest & most respected merchants in Kabul. He has failed to do so through academia or brawn but the one area where they connect is the annual kite fighting tournament. Amir is determined not just to win the competition but to run the last kite & bring it home triumphantly to prove to his father that he has the makings of a man. His loyal friend Hassan is the best kite runner that Amir has ever seen & he promises to help him
- for Hassan always helps Amir out of trouble. But Hassan is a Shi'a Muslim & this is 1970s Afghanistan. Hassan is taunted & jeered at by Amir's school friends; he is merely a servant living in a shack at the back of Amir's house. So why does Amir feel such envy towards his friend? Then what happens to Hassan on the afternoon of the tournament is to shatter all their lives & define their futures. When Russia invades Afghanistan Amir & Baba escape to San Francisco where Baba fades but Amir feels that at last he can succeed. But he is still haunted by guilt & he knows that his past will not let him go. The destructive rule of the Northern Alliance followed by the even more terrifying & oppressive Taliban have destroyed the country that Amir knows but the hearts of men cannot be suppressed. Amir must return to Afghanistan to search for salvation & perhaps his life-altering mistakes can be redeemed. This is a moving courageous story of love loyalty secrets & vengeance & of a country & a boy whose footsteps cannot be retraced as the events & decisions resonate & alter them for ever.
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THE ULTIMATE GUIDES TO EXAM SUCCESS from York Notes
- the UK's favourite English Literature Study Guides. York Notes for AS & A2
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Twelve-year-old Amir is desperate to win the approval of his father & resolves to win the local kite-fighting tournament to prove that he has the makings of a man. His loyal friend Hassan promises to help him
- for he always helps Amir
- but this is 1970s Afghanistan & Hassan is merely a low-caste servant who is jeered at in the street although Amir still feels jealous of his natural courage & the place he holds in his father's heart. But neither of the boys could foresee what would happen to Hassan on the afternoon of the tournament which was to shatter their lives. After the Russians invade & the family is forced to flee to America Amir realises that one day he must return to find the one thing that his new world cannot grant him: redemption.

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A story of fathers & sons friendship & betrayal & the casualties of fate 1970s Afghanistan: Twelve-year-old Amir is desperate to win the local kite-fighting tournament & his loyal friend Hassan promises to help him. But neither of the boys can foresee what will happen to Hassan that afternoon an event that is to shatter their lives. After the Russians invade & the family is forced to flee to America Amir realises that one day he must return to an Afghanistan under Taliban rule to find the one thing that his new world cannot grant him: redemption. ...

Afghanistan 1975: Twelve-year-old Amir is desperate to win the local kite-fighting tournament & his loyal friend Hassan promises to help him. But neither of the boys can foresee what will happen to Hassan that afternoon an event that is to shatter their lives. After the Russians invade & the family is forced to flee to America Amir realises that one day he must return to Afghanistan under Taliban rule to find the one thing that his new world cannot grant him: redemption. ...

Leap for your life & discover the trills of kitesurfing! Written by three--time world champion & packed with over 500 photographs this book covers first attempts at getting afloat to snapping a 360. It is the definitive guide to kitesurfing covering both mental & physical preparation with fabulous photography showing every stage of each manoevure. Like all watersports safety & preparation come first. The opening chapters cover weather location preparation of equipment physical & mental warm--ups & signals in the water. The main body of the book introduces the reader to the basics of getting into the water & the principles of surfing on the wind: getting up steering turning controlling the kite & what to do when you inevitably wipe out. Once the rider has mastered surfing at high speed its time to start having some fun with more than 50 tricks covered in full step--by--step detail from the basic chop hop to how to ride huge waves & advanced moves like the back to blind surface pass & the unhooked downloop s--bend! The final sections of the book introduce fitness & flexibility ideas for kitesurfers & cover maintenance & repair of equipment. ...

Kith is a passionate examination of what it means to be a child by Jay Griffiths the award-winning author of Wild. While travelling the world in order to write her award-winning book Wild Jay Griffiths became increasingly aware of the huge differences in how childhood is experienced in various cultures. One central riddle in particular captured her imagination: Why are so many children in Euro-American cultures unhappy
- & why is it that children in many traditional cultures seem happier? In Kith Jay Griffiths explores these questions & many more. Moving from communities in West Papua & the Arctic to the ostracised young people of contemporary Britain she asks why we have enclosed our children in a consumerist cornucopia but denied them the freedoms of space time & deep play. She uses history philosophy language & literature to illustrate children's affinity for the natural world & the essential quest element of childhood. Kith is Jay Griffiths' impassioned illuminating analysis of a universal rite of passage. In its urgent defence of the rights & needs of every child it is a journey into the heart of human experience. Kith could have been written by no-one but Jay Griffiths. It is ablaze with her love of the physical world & her passionate moral sense that goodness & a true relation with nature are intimately connected. She has the same visionary understanding of childhood that we find in Blake & Wordsworth & John Clare would have read her with delight. Her work isn't just good
- it's necessary". (Philip Pullman). " Jay Griffiths writes with such richness & mischief about the one thing that could truly save the world: its children". (KT Tunstall). " An impassioned visionary plea to restore to our children the spirit of adventure freedom & closeness to nature that is their birthright. We must hear it & act on it before it is too late". (Iain Mc Gilchrist). Jay Griffiths is the author of Pip Pip: A Sideways Look at Time; Wild: An Elemental Journey; & A Love Letter from a Stray Moon a novella about the life of Frida Kahlo. She is the winner of the inaugural Orion Book Award & of the Barnes & Noble Discover Award for the best new non-fiction writer to be published in the USA. She has also been shortlisted for the Orwell Prize & the World Book Day award."

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Illustrated by Rachel Wells this book should have huge appeal for babies & very young children & is a perfect introduction to books. Full of tactile surprises children should love following the stitched trails to help kitten find its friends. Along the trail there are flaps touchy-feely patches & lots of surprises & noises. ...

Teach your child all about furry felines in Touch & Feel: Kittens". Twinkly bumpy hard soft silky & shiny touch & feel textures in a chunky package will help your child learn all about kittens. How soft is a kittens fur? How rough is her pink tongue? From soft kitten fur to scratchy cat baskets let their little hands roam & discover how a kitten feels. Read it together
- theyll learn as you play. These Touch & Feel chunky padded board books will help encourage your childs early learning & language. It is perfect for encouraging tiny fingers to explore & great for sensory development."
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A fantastic top-secret journal for kitten-lovers with a beautiful heart-shaped lock to keep the contents secret! This brilliant book is packed with amazing activities cute kittens a diary & a whole section on how to throw the best sleepover party ever! Any little girl who loves kittens will treasure this journal. It would make a wonderful birthday present for a kitten-mad five to eight year-old. It's time to join in the kitten fun! But sssh! It's a secret! ...