Desert Angel

Desert Angel by Charlie Price. Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011.

Angel’s drug addict mother and her newest boyfriend Scotty get in a screaming fight one night, so Angel decides to sleep outside. In the morning, there is blood everywhere and Angel’s mother and Scotty are missing. Within a short time, Angel finds a shallow grave with her mother body and she knows she must get away before Scotty returns. He’s a vicious, evil man and she is a loose end.

Escaping from Scotty is going to be difficult. He knows a lot about hunting, tracking and survival from his illegal poaching trips. Angel returns to the trailer to get some water and look for weapons. She is shocked by the sudden appearance of Scotty behind her. She is able to trick him into believing she is dead and then she runs for her life.

Angel has no family, no neighbors, no friends, nothing. She has nowhere to go and past experience has taught her she can only rely on herself. Unexpected help gives Angel some hope, but Scotty brutally eliminates everyone. Angel will never be safe as long as Scotty is chasing her. So she decides to become the hunter. 

This action-filled book is a combination of realistic, adventure and survival fiction.  It is recommended for grades 8 and up.

Where I Belong

Where I Belong by Gillian Cross. Published by Holiday House, 2011.

Khadija leads a difficult life in Somalia. Survival is a daily struggle- for food, water, a home, and safety in a violent part of the world with no government. Khadija’s father wants more for her and he makes the difficult decision to send her to London, telling her she needs to get a good education. This is the only way she can help her family and other people of Somalia. Khadija knows her father is right, but that doesn’t make this any less difficult. She doesn’t want to leave her family and the only life she has ever known, but she is given no choice.

After Abdi’s father sends the family to London, his father must stay behind in Somolia. Communication with his father is infrequent and eventually Abdi’s family is told that his father is dead, with no further information available. A short time later, the family is asked to take in a young Somali woman. This is how Khadija becomes part of Abdi’s family. Khadija is desperate to help her family and gets a job so she can send money home. Abdi is responsible for escorting her back and forth to work every day.

Their lives change rather dramatically after a chance encounter with the famous designer Sandy Dexter and her daughter Freya. Freya lives with her family and only sees her mother sporadically due to her busy fashion designer schedule. Every year, everything in Sandy Dexter’s life focuses on the London Fashion Week and her latest obsession is Khadija and Somali-inspired fabrics and clothes.

All of these characters and their dreams create a dangerous situation, as the opportunity for Khadija puts her family in grave danger.

This realistic fiction is recommended for grades 8 and up. 

Visit author Gillian Cross's website