A Little Piece of Ground is a young adult novel by Elizabeth Laird

Elizabeth Laird

Elizabeth Laird is an author of many books for children, including picture books and books for older children. Her novels include Red Sky in the Morning, Secrets of the Fearless and Kiss the Dust.-Biography:...

. The book is about a twelve year old boy and his family struggling under the oppression of occupation in Israel/Palestine. It was first published by Macmillan in 2003 and reprinted by Haymarket Books

Haymarket Books

Haymarket Books is a non-profit left-wing book publisher and distributor. It is published by the Center for Economic Research and Social Change...

 in 2006. In 2003 it was a nominee for the Carnegie Medal

Carnegie Medal

The Carnegie Medal is a literary award established in 1936 in honour of Scottish philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and given annually to an outstanding book for children and young adults. It is awarded by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals...

 and in 2004 won the Hampshire Book Award

Hampshire Book Award

The Hampshire Book Award is an annual award given to works of children's literature published in paperback during the previous year. The award is run by Hampshire County Council's School Library Service.-List of prize winners:...

. The story comes from Laird's experiences in Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War

Lebanese Civil War

The Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted civil war in Lebanon. The war lasted from 1975 to 1990 and resulted in an estimated 150,000 to 230,000 civilian fatalities. Another one million people were wounded, and today approximately 350,000 people remain displaced. There was also a mass exodus of...

. The book has attracted some controversy regarding its portrayal of Israel/Palestinian relations.