Child Soldier: When Boys and Girls Are Used in War

by Michel Chikwanine, Jessica Dee Humphreys, Claudia Dávila (Illustrator)

Overview

Michel is like many other five-year-olds: he has a loving family and spends his days going to school and playing soccer. But in 1993, the Democratic Republic of Congo, where Michel and his family live, is a country in tumult. One afternoon Michel and his friends are kidnapped by rebel militants and forced to become child soldiers. Child Soldier is the sometimes heartbreaking but ultimately inspiring true story of the triumph of the human spirit.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781771386289
Publisher:	Kids Can Press, Limited
Publication date:	09/01/2015
Series:	CitizenKid Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	37 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Michel Chikwanine has experienced civil war, political upheaval and poverty, emerging as an individual wise beyond his years. Forced by these circumstances to leave his home country at the age of 11 as a refugee, Michel has since traveled to 35 African countries, witnessing firsthand the problems faced by the developing world, but also the beauty of the communities and people who live there.@michelchikwan
Jessica Dee Humphreys writes books about things that matter to young people (and grown-ups). Jessie lives with her husband and their little boy in a big city most of the time. But sometimes they live on a tiny island near the woods, where Jessie rereads To Kill a Mockingbird every summer, lying in a hammock.
Graphic designer and children's illustrator Claudia Dávila was born in Chile and now makes her home in Toronto. She was formerly the art director of Chirp and Chickadee magazines.

Editorial Reviews

06/29/2015
Chikwanine, who was abducted by a rebel militia at age five and now works as a public speaker and activist, describes a childhood filled with horrors, heartbreak, and hope growing up in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the 1990s. Writing with Humphreys, he begins with a capsule history of the region’s instabilities before moving on to his early life in the city of Beni; his father was a human rights lawyer, while his mother sold fish and fabric at the market. After Chikwanine and some friends are abducted during an after-school soccer game, the direct first-person narration lays bare the boy’s confusion and pain: “Every day was hard and terrible, filled with fear, torture and death.” Dávila’s panel sequences temper the story’s atrocities, but only slightly: readers see the sandal-clad foot of the friend Chikwanine was forced to kill; elsewhere, bodies hang from trees while he is shown holding a rifle as large as he is. Chikwanine escaped the rebels not long after, but his family’s troubles were just beginning. Back matter provides extensive information about the use of child soldiers worldwide. Ages 5–8. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Graphic in format but not detail ...The visual element gives this memoir particular immediacy for audiences who "don't understand what is happening right now, to kids just like them."—Kirkus Reviews

... an eye-opening and heartbreaking account of Chikwanine's kidnapping at the age of five.—Quill & Quire

An enlightening, accessible, and, above all, child-friendly introduction to the issue.—School Library Journal, starred review

... Child Soldier conveys Michel's horrific experience with sensitivity, insight, and skill ... also providing readers with relevant information about the geography and history of the country.—Quill & Quire, starred review

... the direct first-person narration lays bare the boy's confusion and pain ...[while] Dávila's panel sequences temper the story's atrocities ...—Publishers Weekly

The narration includes enough history of the Congo to give context to the personal story, while the back matter provides more information about child'soldiers.—Booklist

An unforgettable book that provides factual information about civil wars and especially child'soldiers.—Resource Links

From the Publisher

★ 07/01/2015
Gr 3–6—Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo and forced to become a child soldier at age five, Chikwanine tells his painful yet ultimately uplifting story with help from coauthor Humphreys and artist Dávila. Though there was unrest in his country, Michel lived a happy, carefree existence with his parents and sisters—until one day after school he was abducted by soldiers. He lived in a state of terror and exhaustion while he underwent training, until he was able to escape and return to his family. However, more trauma lay ahead. Chikwanine, Humphreys, and Dávila handle this difficult subject sensitively; readers are informed that "these events did not occur out of the blue and won't suddenly happen to you." The authors gloss over some details to keep the story age appropriate, but they do acknowledge some difficult truths. Chikwanine's narration is matter of fact but never didactic, emphasizing less the gruesome details and more young Michel's emotional response and attempts to make sense of the world around him. Earthy hued and gentle, the images make a potentially disturbing topic accessible. Dávila foregoes blood and gore for more delicate, effective ways of depicting fear and danger, such as using darker hues, extreme close-ups, and dramatic angles. Several pages of back matter provide more information on Chikwanine's life, child soldiers in general, and resources for those who want to get involved combating this problem. VERDICT An enlightening, accessible, and, above all, child-friendly introduction to the issue.—Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal

School Library Journal

2015-04-29
An ex-child soldier tells his horrifying tale, beginning with being kidnapped at the age of 5 and forced to kill his best friend. Graphic in format but not detail, co-author Chikwanine's narrative begins with his arrival in Canada, then flashes back to the early 1990s and happy childhood days in the Democratic Republic of Congo. These quickly end in terror as a ragged band of militia snatch him up with schoolmates, blindfold him, put a gun in his hands, and cajole him into pulling the trigger. "Your family will never take you back now. We are your only family." He escapes and discovers otherwise, but the trauma stays with him through flight to a refugee camp in Uganda and immigration to a strange, snowy country. In her large, paneled illustrations Dávila steers clear of explicit violence, using facial expressions to convey vividly the rebels' brutality, the shock of their child captives, and the narrator's emotional scars. His initial impression that North America's young people seem preoccupied by trivial concerns ultimately broadens into a hopeful note as he goes on to become a speaker and activist. Further information about his work, plus a Q-and-A about child soldiers worldwide and annotated lists of organizations and other resources close this affecting but not strident call to action. The visual element gives this memoir particular immediacy for audiences who "don't understand what is happening right now, to kids just like them." (Graphic memoir. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews