Review by Booklist Review
Fourteen-year-old Kim's normal life in his Kenyan town is decimated in a turbulent election's aftermath, during which his father is killed and his family's house is burned, sending Kim, his sister, and their mother to an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp. With everything he's known destroyed, Kim must learn to survive in this strange place where tribal difference seems to matter less, but making friends must be balanced with planning an uncertain future. Short, engaging chapters offer insight into Kim's worries and show his forced maturity in the face of loss and water shortages. Though a work of fiction, this book will help readers understand the perils of conflict and the struggles of IDPs while still relating to a teen protagonist navigating friendship concerns, crushes, family relationships, and his own mental health. Though the sentences feel a bit too formal for the intended age range, the setting is so vividly realized that readers will sink right into the story. For fans of Atia Abawi and Omar Mohamed who want international perspective.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4--6--In a time of polarizing political issues, what unites people? Ochieng shows readers that hope and working together as a community can see people through. During violent protests following Kenya's 2007 presidential elections, Kimathi's quiet suburban life is shattered when his father is murdered and their home is burned. Kimathi, 14, along with his mother and younger sister Ngina, flee for their lives, finally finding shelter in a Kenyan camp for internally displaced persons. But the camp is no haven; residents self-segregate and basic necessities are scarce--especially water. It's brought into the camp by ruthless water-sellers, always overpriced and often contaminated. Despite his daily struggles, Kimathi makes a caring circle of friends with funny, distinct personality traits readers will recognize in their own friends. Adults are nuanced supporting characters, providing guidance and encouragement to the novel's young protagonists. The plot takes off when Kimathi and his friends decide to solve the camp's water problem by getting water tanks installed and arranging for regular deliveries of clean, fairly priced water. Readers will be inspired by the children's courage and perseverance, taking action when adults fail to do so and uniting the camp through the shared need for water. VERDICT Ideal for a classroom global issues study, this story of Kimathi and his friends serves as a reminder that kids are the same everywhere, but many have comforts and advantages others do not. Recommended.--Marybeth Kozikowski
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Fourteen-year-old Kimathi lives in a suburb of the Kenyan city of Eldoret, but when his father is murdered during post-election violence, he flees. Like so many others after the 2007-2008 elections, he ends up in a camp for Internally Displaced Persons with his mother and five-year-old sister, Ngina. Since this is Kim's first-person present-tense narrative, readers get one boy's view of camp conditions, but we see enough to know the harsh realities of his new life: nightmares about his father's death, prejudice at the school he attends, typhoid, fires, and crooked water sellers. Kim is a kind boy able to see the goodness of people trying to make the best of bad situations. He finds a community of friends and even becomes a hero in the camp, for helping both to rescue a woman from a fire and to coordinate the delivery of water tanks that will provide clean water and thus save lives. Through his protagonist's point of view, Ochieng offers a memorable reminder of how political conflict affects children; as one young person Kim meets in the camp puts it, "We're just kids! Why can't we have a normal life like other kids? Is that too much to ask for?" Back matter includes an author's note and questions for discussion. Dean SchneiderSeptember/October 2025 p.70 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
In a suburb of the Kenyan city of Eldoret, 14-year-old Kimathi escapes the men with machetes who killed his father during the post-election violence of 2007-2008. Kim flees with his mother and younger sister, Ngina, to a neighbor's house, where they hide until it's safe enough to reach the police station. The novel focuses on the first eight months of Kim and his family's adjustment to life in a camp for internally displaced people. He attends a local school and befriends twins Sam and Chebi, who, like many kids in the camp, are being raised by a widowed mother. Doctor Tabitha at the camp's NGO clinic helps the young people deal with the horrors they've witnessed, and Kim welcomes this support; his recurring nightmares are painful. The doctor listens while he talks about his former life and present situation: Kenyans from various tribes are crowded together in makeshift housing, and the adults hold on to their bigotry and mistrust. But Kim and his friends overcome these divisions, finding refuge in each other as well as in kind Raju, a man who's the only Asian camp resident and who shares his books, allowing them moments of escape. Ochieng sheds light on the impact of PTSD, grief, and bigotry through this story conveyed in the compelling voice of a teenage boy. Kim's courage will speak to readers, and the exploration of the importance of maintaining continuity and pursuing education will resonate. Outstanding. (author's note, discussion questions)(Fiction. 10-14) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
