Little Soldier

Publishers Weekly

This story unfolds as a string of seemingly disconnected violent acts occurring on two separate continents. The author then draws parallels between political conflict and street warfare, while revealing the growing camaraderie between two "little soldiers" fighting different battles. "A timely, meticulously orchestrated contemporary tale," wrote PW. Ages 12-up. (Nov.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

KLIATT

Ashley is an award-winning British author who has written many books for YAs. He chose the topic of African boy soldiers and melds it with teenage gang warfare on European (and American) urban streets. His main character is Kaninda, from a fictional country in Africa, who after the massacre of his family joined a rebel force, taking part in a brutal civil war. It is by a fluke that Kaninda ends up with the Red Cross and is rescued by a British family and transported to a new life, supposedly of safety, in London. In the British family (devout members of God's Force, an organization similar to the Salvation Army) is a troubled teenage girl named Laura. The reality is that tribal warfare exists on London streets—perhaps not as violent and widespread as in a civil war in Africa, but tribal warfare nonetheless, with gangs and turf. Ashley presents the London world through the eyes of Kaninda, and that is quite amazing. American YAs will have to stretch to understand the London slang and culture as well as Kaninda's African experiences. Also, Ashley's novel is complex, with multiple plot lines and many characters. (It would be difficult to describe this plot succinctly in a review.) It is challenging reading for these reasons. However, the teenage rebellion, guilt, rage, and conflicted emotions are clearly stated and all YAs will understand those elements of the story. A story of crime and punishment, of redemption and hope, is always welcome—especially one as well written as this one. KLIATT Codes: JS—Recommended for junior and senior high school students. 1999, Scholastic, 230p.,
— Claire Rosser

VOYA

Kaninda hails from the fictional country of Lasai in Africa, where tribal wars have left him an orphan, fighting to avenge the brutal deaths of his parents and little sister. During a maneuver gone wrong, Kaninda manages to escape death, is rescued, and is taken to England to start a new life with a fanatically religious foster family. In London, Kaninda cannot let go of his need for revenge and wants only to return to his homeland to rejoin the war. Meanwhile, Kaninda's teenaged foster sister, Laura, struggles with her feelings about faith and decides to rebel by joyriding in a borrowed car. A young girl is the victim of a hit-and-run accident for which Laura believes she is guilty, starting a gang war into which Kaninda finds himself drawn. In a subordinate plot line, another refugee, an African boy from Kaninda's rival tribe, has to be protected because Kaninda wants to kill him. This book contains so many issues, story lines, and characters that the reader is left perplexed. None of the characters are really likeable, and even Kaninda, having endured incredible hardships, does little to evoke sympathy. Issues such as race relations are mentioned but not fleshed out. An overabundance of distortions and British colloquialisms that are difficult to decipher might be a real obstacle for American teens. Despite it all, at the story's core lies an interesting premise. Unfortunately, it seems buried under myriad other unresolved or too-easily-solved story lines. 2002, Scholastic, 240p, Paone

School Library Journal

Gr 7-10-Kaninda Bulumba's country and tribe are fictitious but his circumstances, quest, and spirit are achingly real. The sole survivor of a Yusulu massacre that left his parents and baby sister dead, Kaninda joins the Kibu rebels in his native Lasai and learns their code of stealth, fearlessness, and loyalty. Hiding in a ditch after his band is attacked, the boy is discovered by U.N. forces, turned over to the Red Cross, and, subsequently, to Captain Betty Rose, a zealous but kind God's Force missionary. He is flown to London where he lives with Rose, her husband, and their daughter, Laura, a girl about his age. His new home is an apartment complex along the Thames where gangs vie for turf and Laura's role in Junior God's Force does not shield her from peer pressure and adolescent impulses. When she and her friend Theo joyride in his brother's car, they are involved in a hit-and-run accident that seriously injures a neighborhood girl and ultimately sparks a gang war. Despite his focus on returning to his homeland and avenging his family, Kaninda is caught up in Laura's struggle. His story is both tragic and hopeful. As he flashes back to events in Africa, his emotional and psychological pain are revealed. He and Laura become soul mates, learning from one another that people must accept moral responsibility for their actions and that true loyalty is based on understanding and not blind allegiance. With a sharp eye and ear for nuances of dialect and culture, Ashley has created a rich, multiracial cast of characters. The descriptions of the young people's inner turmoil reveal the contradictions, torment, and vulnerability they feel.-Gerry Larson, Durham School of the Arts, NC Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.