“This is an absorbing read for both boys and girls. Set in modern-day Myanmar/ Burma, it’s the story of the unlikely friendship between Chiko, a 15-year-old city boy who longs to be a teacher, and Tu Reh, a teenager living in a Karenni refugee camp on the Thai border, whose home was destroyed by the Burmese. The narrative is set in motion when Chiko, conscripted into the Burmese army and befriended by Tai, a street kid kidnapped to become a soldier, trade assignments. This leads to Chiko and TuReh’s meeting as enemy combatants. Their intersecting lives bring to life the political and military struggles in Burma, and explore the power of courage and compassion to overcome violence and prejudice. There are strong female characters as well. While this book confronts what it means to become a man of your people, it is definitely not a typical coming-of-age story.”— Mary, Eagle Harbor Book Company, Bainbridge Island, WA