When you’re so skinny people call you Skeleton Boy, how do you find strength for the fight of your life? Twelve-year-old Vonlai knows that soldiers who guard the Mekong River shoot at anything that moves, but in oppressive Communist Laos, there’s nothing left for him, his spirited sister, Dalah, and his desperate parents. Their only hope is a refugee camp in Thailand—on the other side of the river. When they reach the camp, their struggles are far from over. Na Pho is a forgotten place where life consists of squalid huts, stifling heat, and rationed food. Still, Vonlai tries to carry on as if everything is normal. He pays attention in school, a dusty barrack overcrowded with kids too hungry to learn. And, to forget his empty stomach, he plays soccer in a field full of rocks.
Age
Catalog sorted by age group
Love And Roast Chicken: A Trickster Tale From The Andes Mountains
High in the Andes Mountains, Cuy the Guinea Pig has just discovered a field of delicious sweetgrass. He is about to feast and spoils his meal. As always, Fox has an appetite for a guinea pig dinner. But crafty Guinea Pig has other plans to fool Fox.
Rain Player
To bring rain to his thirsty village, Pik challenges the rain god to a game of pok-a-tok.
Feathered
It was supposed to be the perfect vacation: hot guys, impeccable tans, and no parents. But for two high school seniors, an innocent car ride will drive them into the heart of their worst nightmare.
The Maldonado Miracle
A twelve-year-old Jose Maldonado used to dream of becoming a fine artist. Now all he worries about is survival. Since his mother died and his father left for work in the U.S., he’s been on his own in Mexico. But when at last it’s time to reunite with his father in the U.S., everything goes wrong.
Maya’s Children: The Story Of La Llorona
In ancient Mexico, the beautiful and magical grandchildren of the Sun God are endangered by the threat of Seänor Tiempo who, jealous of their immortality, plots to destroy them.
Amazon A B C
Labeled photographs present an alphabet of Amazonian animals, from the agouti to the zorillo.
How the Soldier Repairs the Gramophone
A boy who experiences the Bosnian War and finds the secret to survival in language and stories is bound to dazzle a whole new readership. Aleksandar Krsmanovic, Grandpa Slavko’s stories endow life in Višegrad with a kaleidoscopic brilliance. Neighbors, friends, and family past and present take on a mythic quality; the River Drina courses through town like the pulse of life itself. So when his grandfather dies suddenly, Aleksandar promises to carry on the tradition.
Phoning A Dead Man
When John, a British demolitions expert, is supposedly killed blowing up a building in Siberia, his fiance Annie insists on investigating, despite being in a wheelchair, and John’s teenage sister Hayley goes along and finds that the Russian Mafia is involved.
The Little Boy Star: An Allegory Of The Holocaust
A young Jewish boy is given a star to wear. At first he is proud of the decoration, but soon finds the star overshadowing him no one sees the boy, only the star. Lonely, frightened, and helpless, he watches as other star-wearers are led away into the night. This affecting allegory, rich with symbolism, educates children about the events of the Holocaust in a way that young minds can easily grasp.