The Fastest Boy in the World

Eleven-year-old Solomon loves to run! The great athletes of the Ethiopian national team are his heroes and he dreams that one day he will be a gold-medal-winning athlete like them, in spite of his ragged shorts and bare feet.When his grandfather announces that he|s going to take Solomon to Addis Ababa, Solomon cannot believe his ears. A trip to the capital? It|s unfathomable. Solomon|s joy is increased when he realizes that the Ethiopian running team will be doing a victory parade through the city that day. Maybe he|ll get a glimpse of Haile Gebrselassie or Derartu Tulu?!But Solomon|s grandfather has other plans. As Solomon follows him through the big, overwhelming streets, he learns something he cannot believe. The strict old man is a war hero who once risked his life to save a friend and has been in hiding ever since. When grandfather collapses, Solomon knows that getting help from his village is up to him. It|s a twenty-mile run from the city to home, and grandfather|s life hangs in the balance. Can the small bare-footed runner with the big heart do it?