# 20- The Heaven Shop First Fifth

     The book, The Heaven Shop I find is a very interesting book, so far. Many things helped form my opinion such as how the author introduced the characters,  introducing the background of the story, and what the main beginning conflict is in the novel.
     Deborah Ellis has written many other fascinating books like The Breadwinner that have to do with the conflicts surrounding our world today. You have told us numerous times that The Heaven Shop tells the readers what it is like to live in Malawi and how the AIDS disease is effecting their culture and the people. Ellis has shown me what life is like for Binti, the little girl who has lost her mother to the AIDS. The way that the author describes the little girl's life, it sounds as though she is one of the luckier children there. She  works at a radio series where she is the voice of a little girl about her age. She is at least bringing money into her family so they can afford the necessities and so her siblings and herself can attend private school. This is just one example of how Deborah Ellis is writing about the character's lives and I have learned all of that is just the first fifth.
      Also, Ellis has written the background of the story very well in my opinion. She has told me about Binti's mother who died of AIDS and how it has effected her and her family. I have also learned about Bambo (Binti's father) and how he has been ill a few times with what the doctors believe to be as AIDS. Ellis is showing her readers what the daily lives are like for the African child just by showing Binti's past to me. Only a talented writer can challenge themselves to do what Deborah Ellis has achieved so far in this story.
     I know that the main conflict is AIDS and how it effects everyone world-wide. You have told us many times in class that this book revolves around AIDS, the way that Bambo is becoming more sick day by day and that Binti's mother died of the disease, I can tell that this book will talk a lot about AIDS. I have heard the term, but I didn't really know what it was. After the report that we have to do on our novels and after  I am done reading this book, I will hopefully understand the concept of AIDS better.
        I predict that Binti's father will get more sick and that Binti will have to decide weather or not she can keep going at the radio station. I also hope that the book picks up and gets more interesting.