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abbywebb's review
4.0
A great introduction to HIV/AIDS for young people. Of course, this book is nothing in comparison to [b:28 Stories of AIDS in Africa|1273062|28 Stories of Aids in Africa|Stephanie Nolen|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1182422651s/1273062.jpg|1262016] by Stephanie Nolen, but this is a great book for what it is. I'm glad to see that there are young adult authors out there who are dedicated to writing about important issues that are affecting people around the world (see Deborah Ellis' other work for more examples...). Now, if we could only find ways for children and teens to read this kind of stuff...
cathrynlucy_reads's review
4.0
I read this book when I was a child when it was brand new in 2004. I was either 10 or 11. I’ve just watched all of It’s A Sin (and am left an emotional wreck from it) and was trying to recall the first time I learnt anything about AIDs. It was this book - I can’t remember much, but for all this time a scene has been in my head about drinking out of the same cup as someone HIV positive and people being absolutely terrified due to stigma despite it being fine. If this book aims to dispel myths about HIV/AIDs, the fact that the lasting impression on a young reader 17 years later is a scene that operates to dispel myths and show the stigma, well that tells me the book did its job. I tried so many search terms to find this book tonight with only that scene in my mind. As soon as I saw the cover I can remember the exact space I sat in my old classroom reading it during silent reading when it was a brand new book. The power of books, huh? I struggle with recommending books I only remember through a child’s lens, but I’d suggest adults reading this and seeing if I’m recalling correctly that it’s a powerful book that addresses stigma well in a way that’s suitable for young readers.
aoosterwyk's review against another edition
4.0
This was another great read by Deborah Ellis. Binti lives with her older siblings and ill father(he has AIDS) in Malawi. She has a job as a voice actor in a radio program and is a prefect at her school. The father supports them with his coffin business until he dies of pneumonia/AIDS. Their relatives swoop down under the guise of taking care of the orphans and steal everything they own. They then take the children to their homes to use as free labor.
The focus of the story is how big a problem AIDS is in this country. We get a couple of details that illustrate why that is, and then see Binti and her family deal with the fallout.
This would be a great middle grade read for a book club or global issues club.
The focus of the story is how big a problem AIDS is in this country. We get a couple of details that illustrate why that is, and then see Binti and her family deal with the fallout.
This would be a great middle grade read for a book club or global issues club.
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