Eleven-year-old Solomon loves to run! The great athletes of the Ethiopian national team are his heroes & he dreams that one day he will be a gold-medal-winning athlete like them in spite of his ragged shorts & 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 & 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 & grandfather's life hangs in the balance Can the small bare-footed runner with the big heart do itshortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal The Fastest Boy in the World by Elizabeth Laird is the inspiring story of a small Ethiopian runner with a very big heart