A review by abigailbat
Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins
2.0
Fifteen year old Chiko is tricked into joining the Burmese army. Tu Reh is a Karenni boy, trapped between wanting to fight the soldiers that destroyed his home and wanting to promote peace as his religious teachings dictate. In the middle of the Burmese jungle, these two boys will meet and neither will ever be the same.
While I appreciate that this is a book that will help raise the consciousness of readers, it just wasn't my cup of tea. There was a lot of talking and not as much action as I expected a book about child soldiers to have. I also found it hard to keep all the characters straight in the second part of the book (there were a lot of them and they all had similar names). That said, many people I respect have loved this book, so I think it's just a case of it not being the right book for me. :)
While I appreciate that this is a book that will help raise the consciousness of readers, it just wasn't my cup of tea. There was a lot of talking and not as much action as I expected a book about child soldiers to have. I also found it hard to keep all the characters straight in the second part of the book (there were a lot of them and they all had similar names). That said, many people I respect have loved this book, so I think it's just a case of it not being the right book for me. :)