This book was published under the author name of Patricia Farrell rather than my usual name of Tish Farrell. It is my first published novel and was written while I lived in Nairobi during the 1990s. It tells the story of orphaned Jessicah who runs away from her aunt's house where she is badly tr... more

This book was published under the author name of Patricia Farrell rather than my usual name of Tish Farrell. It is my first published novel and was written while I lived in Nairobi during the 1990s. It tells the story of orphaned Jessicah who runs away from her aunt's house where she is badly treated, and sets off to the city to find her missing father. But city life is grim and finding her father looks hopeless. Then Jessicah meets the old vagrant, Granny Zippo who takes her to live in her shack on the city garbage dump. There Jessicah learns to make a living with a gang of street kids who work the dump for materials to sell for recycling. They have to fight off other gangs to protect their territory. Then one day Jessicah makes a discovery that brings changes to the lives of all her street friends. But will it change her own life too: bring her the father she's long searched for, give her the chance to go back to school? 2nd prize Childen's Literature, 1996 Zimbabwe International Book Fair 1996 White Raven citation, International Youth Library Also published by Phoenix Press, Nairobi