{"product_id":"bamboo-people-9781580893299","title":"Bamboo People","description":"\u003cb\u003eTop Ten ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults\u003cbr\u003e Junior Library Guild Selection\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eStarred Reviews in \u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eSchool Library Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBookPage\u003c\/i\u003e's \"Top Ten Middle Grade Novels\" \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA refugee and child soldier challenge the rules of war in this coming-of-age novel set against the political and military backdrop of modern-day Burma \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003ci\u003eBang! A side door bursts open.\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003e Soldiers pour into the room. They're shouting and waving rifles.\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003e I shield my head with my arms. It was a lie! I think, my mind racing.\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003e Girls and boys alike are screaming. The soldiers prod and herd some of us together and push the rest apart as if we're cows or goats.\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003e Their leader, though, is a middle-aged man. He's moving slowly, intently, not dashing around like the others. \"Take the boys only, Win Min,\" I overhear him telling a tall, gangly soldier. \"Make them obey.\"\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eChiko isn't a fighter by nature. He's a book-loving Burmese boy whose father, a doctor, is in prison for resisting the government. Tu Reh, on the other hand, wants to fight for freedom after watching Burmese soldiers destroy his Karenni family's home and bamboo fields. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhen Chiko is forced into the Burmese army and subsequently injured on a mission, the boys' lives intersect. Timidity becomes courage and anger becomes compassion as both boys discover that everything is not as it seems. Mitali Perkins delivers a touching story about hopes, dreams, and the choices that define who we are.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMitali Perkins\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of several novels for children, including \u003ci\u003eSecret Keeper\u003c\/i\u003e, The First Daughter series, \u003ci\u003eRickshaw Girl\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eMonsoon Summer\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Not So Star-Spangled Life of Sunita Sen\u003c\/i\u003e. She lives in California.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Charlesbridge Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50556976267538,"sku":"9781580893299","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_aad95da7-4f90-458a-ab8f-2c7fa884adad.jpg?v=1731768175","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/bamboo-people-9781580893299","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}