Northumberland’s award-winning Children's rights’s author David Almond is one of 14 well-known writers who has contributed to Amnesty International’s new anthology of Children's rights’s stories, entitled Free?

Through captivating short stories for readers aged ten and older, and written by prominent authors from around the globe, Free? explores the relevance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for young people in the 21st century.

David Almond’s story, ‘Klaus Vogel and the Bad Lads’ is the first in the anthology and considers Article One of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: we are all born free and equal. Speaking about his involvement, the Carnegie, Whitbread and Smarties award-winning author said:

“I'm delighted to be part of this anthology, which should be a rich source of entertainment, contemplation and debate.

“I wanted to write a story that showed that human rights are not abstract ideas, but that they matter to all of us, everywhere, whether we live under a repressive regime or in an ordinary little English town.”

Free? is the second of three books to be published by Amnesty International which mark the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – 30 articles which set out for the first time the human rights and fundamental freedoms to which everyone should be entitled.

Writings from other authors include Scotland’s Theresa Breslin, Kenya’s Meja Mwangi and New York based Patricia McCormick.

Amnesty International UK Director Kate Allen says:

“Free? captures the issues which are encompassed in human rights, such as education, religion and freedom of speech, in a way that is easy to understand and entertaining for young people.

“We are extremely delighted and privileged that these exceptional authors have contributed to this anthology and we hope that all who read this book will be inspired to stand up for justice.”