Tara Sullivan Knihy

A young girl must find a way to help her family survive in a desolate and impoverished Bolivian silver mining community in this eye-opening tale of resilience. Twelve-year-old Ana wants nothing more than to escape the future set for her and her classmates in her small mining village. Boys her age are beginning to leave school to become silver miners and girls her age are destined to one day be the wives of miners. But when her often ill eleven-year-old brother is forced by their demanding father to start work in the mines, Ana gives up her dreams of school to volunteer in his place. The world of silver mining though is dark and dangerous and the men who work there don't want a girl in their way. Ana must find the courage to not only survive but save her family after the worst happens and a mining accident kills her father and leaves her brother missing.

The narrative explores the chilling reality of albino murders in Tanzania, intertwining this grim backdrop with a fictional story that emphasizes themes of redemption and resilience. By addressing a real and horrifying issue, the book elevates its emotional impact, making the characters' struggles and triumphs resonate deeply. The blend of stark reality with fictional elements creates a poignant commentary on societal issues, setting it apart from typical young-adult thrillers.

Kept as forced labor on a chocolate plantation in the Ivory Coast, Amadou and his younger brother Seydou had given up hope, until a young girl arrives at the camp who rekindles the urge to escape