The Heaven Shop

When I started the book, I thought it was a bit sappy. But within the first 30 pages it quickly turns from sappy to heart wrenching. Binti, a Malawi teenager, faces major changes to her way of life, transitioning from a carefree "radio star" to an effectual slave. Though this book is a fairly simple read, the content the author deals with is intense. The book is focused around the issue of AIDS in Africa, misconceptions about AIDS, how AIDS is spread, and the inadequacies of the community in dealing with the issues AIDS presents. I think it is a great read to help students see the faces off AIDS as opposed to just the statistics about AIDS.

Oh, my gosh! What a heartrending book about a young girl's plight in Malawi, Africa, where 25% of the populations of the capital city is infected with aids. It's a gentle, coming of age story, but it doesn't hide reality. If you plan to travel to Africa, or even if not, read this book. You may be heartbroken, but the truth and the love of this one girl is amazing. It's very short, some could read it in a single sitting.

This is one of the best books I've ever read about life in southern Africa, where many people struggle every day of their lives to find food and shelter. Deborah Ellis creates memorable characters who interact with one another in many different ways, running the gamut from sheer cruelty to deep compassion and heartfelt love. The book captures many aspects of the universal human condition, and leaves the reader feeling thoughtful, inspired, and daring to hope.

I had seen this book recommended and decided to get it. I really enjoyed reading it. It helps you to see that there are so many people in this world that truly have nothing. I feel very blessed

Spoilers- This is a good introduction for kids to another culture and to AIDS. Nothing graphic but you may want to preread just because of the content. Even though it is discrete to a point, it does talk about how the protagonist’s sister ended up sleeping with truckers to get money to live off of and ends up with AIDS. Also talks a little about her getting her first period.

MY REVIEW: Fitzhenry & Whiteside|October 17, 2007|Trade Paperback|ISBN: 978-1-55455-086-9 There is a lion in our village, and it is carrying away our children. At her father's funeral, Binti's grandmother utters the words that no one in Malawi wants to hear. Binti's father and her mother before him, dies of AIDS. Binti, her sister, and brother are separated and sent to the home of relatives who can barely tolerate their presence. Ostracized by their extended family, the orphans are treated like the lowest servants. With her brother far away and her sister wallowing in her own sorrow, Binti can hardly contain her rage. She, Binti Phirim, was once a child star of a popular radio program. Now she is scraping to survive. Binti always believed she was special, now she is nothing but a common AIDS orphan. Binti Phiri is not about to give up. Even as she clings to hope that her former life will be restored, she must face a greater challenge. If she and her brother and sister are to be reunited, Binti will have to look outside herself and find a new way to be special. Compelling and uplifting, THE HEAVEN SHOP, is a contemporary novel that puts a very real face on the African AIDS pandemic, which to-date has orphaned more than 11 million African children. Inspired by a young radio performer the author met during her research visit to Malawi, Binti Phiri is a compelling character that readers will never forget. Binti is outspoken and not afraid to stick up for her rights and makes her opinions known. She is a brave girl.

From [...] Review: The Heaven Shop was a book I will never forget. The story of Binti is one that I am sure happens everyday to many, many children. The story was the perfect introduction for 6th to 9th grade children into the horror of what is happening with AIDS in some parts of the world. Ellis wrote a book that touches readers, draws them in, teaches them, and in some sense shows you that no one should be too confident that life will always be as they expect it to be. For Binti, it was AIDS, for someone else it may be a car accident, cancer, or murder. Whatever your hardship, this story tells you to be strong, and keep living. Rating: 4, includes mild sexual detail Positive: The Heaven Shop tastefully presents the AIDS crisis on a level that is appropriate for 6th to 9th grade readers. Binti is a very good daughter who shows respect for her father and helps him a lot when he is sick. She is dedicated to her family and perseveres to help her brother and sister when they are split up. Binti's life is drastically changed by the death of her father, but she makes choices that in the end, make her a better person then ever. Spiritual Elements: There are a few references that the coffins Binti and her family makes will take the deceased swiftly to Heaven, but nothing more religious/spiritual. Violence: Some of the family members are quite mean to Binti and her siblings, I seem to recall they even hit them at one point. Language: None Sexual Content: Eventually Binti's sister starts "being nice" to men in exchange for money that they save to escape. The term used is "being nice" and is clearly prostitution, though no further details are given. Of course, with AIDS being a disease transmitted primarily through sex, it is implied that is how people got AIDS. Again, no detail is given. Other: None Recommendation: I would highly recommend this book to girls and boys ages 13+. I would go so far to say that I wish it was required reading in the 8th grade! I can name a couple books my 8th grade son has had to read this year that this one could replace. By reading The Heaven Shop I feel that kids will have better understanding of the scope and tragedy of AIDS, as well as a good example of how to keep living when life doesn't turn out as you thought is was going to.

Binti is a young star on a Malawi radio show that deals with all sorts of important topics. It turns out that the show is a good way of getting accurate information to their loyal viewers.One story line that receives rapt attention is that of AIDS. While Binti is exceptional in her role, she is blind to the fact that her dear father is living with advanced AIDS. She was too young to realize that her mother had passed away from the disease. When her father dies, Binti and her siblings are sent to live with unknown relatives. It is only then, that she learns that far too many people in her country don't understand the truth about AIDS; they think they can catch it from her even though she is not infected. I listened to the audio book version. Red by Jajube Mandela and the RMW Kids. 4 hours 7 minutes. This story blew me away. I was so touched by Binti's plight and it was even harder when I realized that there are millions of children in Africa that are in her same, and probably even worse situations. Many of these children are being raised by their elderly grandmothers just as Binti came to be. The grandmother did a good job of getting Binti to stop feeling sorry for herself and do something. Do something to improve her lot and that of the other children taken in by her grandmother.