Like his Printz Honor Book, Chanda's Secret (2004), Stratton's sequel, set in a fictional African country, revolves around Chanda Kabele, orphaned by AIDS. In this book, Chanda, who tells the story in an immediate, first-person, present-tense narrative, is caring for her younger brother, Soly, and sister, Iris. Horrors of the civil war are all around them, and Iris and Soly are kidnapped by rebels and turned into brutal soldiers. The realistic description of Chanda's tracking the children through the bush to rescue them is intriguing, and readers will appreciate the girl's feelings as she wonders if her siblings can ever recover from what they have seen, what they have done. Familiarity with the previous book isn't necessary; this one starts off with detailed references to the past-too many, in fact. But the characters are drawn without sentimentality, and the story is a moving portrayal of betrayal and love. The army's brutality and the traumas of the child soldiers are graphic and disturbing; there's nothing easy and comfortable here. Copyright 2007 Booklist Reviews.
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