Child Soldier: When Boys and Girls are Used in War
Illustrator
Claudia Dávila
Publisher
Kids Can Press
Publication Year
2015
ISBN
9781771381260
Pages
47 pages
Genre
historical
Format
graphic short story
Item Type
Nonfiction
Annotation
Michel Chikwanine was only five-years-old when he was abducted from outside his school by rebel soldiers in The Democratic Republic of Congo. 'Child Soldier' tells the story of his happy life before the abduction, his time with the rebel militia, his escape from their clutches and finally the worsening situation and growing unrest for Michel and his family and his eventual immigration to Canada with his mother.
Grade Level
3-5; 6-8
Lexile Measure
680L
Diversity Topics
Family Relationships; Military families; Poverty; son in the military; child in the military; child soldiers; impoverished community
Main Character
male child
Race/Ethnicities
Congolese
Family Formation
mother and father
Awards
Cybils Awards, 2015, Nominee, Graphic Novel
Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children's Non-Fiction, 2016, Finalist
Red Maple Award, 2017, Winner, Non Fiction
Skipping Stones Honor Award, 2016, Winner, Multicultural And International
Towner Award, 2017, Nominee, Grades 2-6
Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, 2016, Nominee, Best Publication for Kids (ages 8 12)
Keywords
Democratic Republic of Congo; childhood and growing up; children and war; soccer; human rights; genocide
Diversity Impact
direct
STARS Citation
Humphreys, Jessica Dee and Chikawanine, Michel, "Child Soldier: When Boys and Girls are Used in War" (2015). Diverse Families. 1391.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/diversefamilies/1391