Chanda's Wars by Allan Stratton

HarperTeen, 2009. ISBN 9780060872656.
After her mother's death of AIDS, young Chanda is forced to drop out of school to look after her younger brother and sister. Dreams of civil war and lost children disturbs Chanda sleep nightly. Things take a turn for the worst and suddenly the dream comes true. Rebel solders brutally attack the family village while taking the village children with them, including Chanda's younger siblings Soly and Iris. Together Chanda and Nelson, the young tracker from next door, risk their lives to save the ones they love the most. Can they overcome their differences and work together to find their love ones before it's too late?
This young adult book is based a fictional war in Africa while the issues and themes within these pages are true to so many people. The way this novel has been created,  placed me inside the story and I was able to see the terror and heart break of the characters. While being a particularly sad novel, I enjoyed reading this book as it's easy to be absorbed within the storyline.
I would recommend this novel to young adults because some of the violent and adult themes might distress some younger readers. Chanda's War follows the first book Chanda's Secrets. Chanda's War is a stand-alone book, but there are slight references to some of the themes in the first book in the series. After reading Chanda's War I'm very interested in reading the first book and can't wait to get my hands on it.
Lauren Pfeiffer (Student - year 12)