Son of a Gun

by Anne de Graaf

Paperback, 2012

Genres

Description

Eight-year-old Liberian Lucky, his ten-year-old sister Nopi, and their schoolmates are kidnapped and forced to become child soldiers, but even after they escape along with some other children and are reunited with their parents, their lives will never be the same. Includes chapter about Liberia.

Publication

Eerdmans Books for Young Readers (2012), Edition: Reprint, Translation, 125 pages

User reviews

LibraryThing member Acacia11

I received an early reviewers copy of “Son of a Gun”. It is a powerful book that I truly enjoyed. One of the things that makes this book both horrific and interesting is that the story is told from the viewpoint of a child. The horrors that a young brother and sister have to endure during the

Liberian Civil War are appalling. Not only that, but once they escape the war they still have to endure more evil.
This is a true story and is written for young adult readers. I am a middle school language arts teacher and truly believe that any book that gets a student to read is a good book, however, I believe that some people would take exception with children reading this book. Some scenes that are depicted both during and after the war are both unsettling and graphic. I would recommend this book for a 13 and up audience. Young readers will find the book to be interesting and easy to relate to, since the narrator is their age. The size of the book is not intimidating to readers and I do expect that many students will want to check this book out of my personal classroom library. Also, this book may help some young readers to realize just how fortunate they are. The word choice of the author and sentence complexity is appropriate for the audience. I enjoyed the book and found it was an easy read for an adult, but still informative and interesting.

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LibraryThing member mtrumbo

Son of a Gun (Early Reviewer copy) is story about a young brother and sister during the Liberian Civil War that are kidnapped and forced to become child soldiers. Sadly, this is just the beginning of the horrors that they endure. The catch with this novel is that is actually labeled "Young Reader"

fiction geared toward ages 8-12. Though I will admit that I am not an expert with 8 and 9 year olds, parts are very disturbing and I don't think that the maturity level is there to read and process those scenes. I do think that it would a very good book for 12 year old age group to read in a school setting so they are able to discuss and "understand" what they have read.

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LibraryThing member JulieBenolken

Son of a gun is a powerful slim book. While the topic is by it's nature disturbing and violent, child soldiers in Liberia, it is handled in a sensitive way and may be a very good introduction to this serious topic for children 10 or 11 and up. Very well done, and no gratuitious violence, while

reading between the lines as an adult you can tell that rapes do occur, I believe it would be over the head of most middle schoolers or a place where a sensitive conversation could occur.

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LibraryThing member MEPurfield

Stunning book. Reminds me a lot of Patricia McCormick's work. Recomended.

LibraryThing member lizamichelle1

This book was a very interesting look into the life of child soldiers. It is a great read for younger children in that it doesn't get as graphic as those meant for adult readers. It's as if the child is just sitting with another child telling a story. I will definitly pass this on to my 10 year old.

LibraryThing member Jadesbooks

This is a story about siblings, Lucky and Nopi, and how they managed to survive the horrors of civil war in Liberia. I found the story to move quickly, and the violence, abuse, and drug usage were only highlighted/glossed over since this book was written for a younger audience. I did enjoy this

book, but will say that I kept thinking that the publisher's target audience of 8-12 was a bit young for the content. As a parent, I know I would not be happy with my 8 year old reading this book, but I would allow my child to read this once they reached 12 years or older.

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LibraryThing member sleahey

This novella is a heart-wrenching story of a brother and sister kidnapped to fight in the Liberian Civil War at the ages of 8 and 10. They are survivors, but not without paying the huge price of their childhood and innocence. I predict that this book will leave an indelible impression on its

readers, for although quite short, it packs a huge punch. The story is only 89 pages, followed by pages of information about Liberia, its culture, and history.

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LibraryThing member Sullywriter

A vividly detailed, grim story about child soldier survivors of the Liberian civil war. Unfortunately titled, but powerful, poignant, and gripping. The author includes excellent back matter for historical context.

LibraryThing member ewyatt

Tells the tale of two siblings during a tumultuous period with multiple civil wars in Liberia. Told in small blocks of narrative from both Lucky and Nopi's points of view. The siblings have awful experiences both on the run and when they are involved in the civil war. The author has provided a

short articles about Liberia at the conclusion of the story, pictures and writings from child soldiers.
At times the details are so sparse and the narrative just provides a sketch, the reader longs for more details although having more information might prove too heartbreaking and too horrible.
The author has used a style that employs the characters speaking directly to the reader.

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