5.0

This is a most touching story of a young boy's experience in Sierra Leone. I found Beal's writing easy to follow. I was swept up into a trek through the jungle, without shoes or water, running for my life to keep ahead of the massacres behind me. As a mother I went through moments of tears grieving for the childhood that was lost, then rejoicing in a rebirth in a new home. This is an intensely moving account of what war does to change children from "non-combatants" to "soldiers" and is a must read in this day and age.