Brainstorm 165: Human trafficking & slavery awareness for kids and teens

This month is modern Slavery & Human Trafficking awareness month. This can be a tough topic to tackle talking about with kids without traumatizing them. Here are some great books that will help adults broach these tough topics with kids without giving them (kids or the adults) nightmares.

Picture Books

My Little Book of Big Freedoms by Amnesty International, ill. by Chris Riddell
Chris Riddell illustrates 16 of the fundamental freedoms outlined in the Human Rights Act and explains them in easy to understand text.

Target Readers:

• Readers Building Awareness & Empathy: This book is a great way to introduce the Human Rights Act. Amnesty International did a good job of breaking down the statements into easily understood language with Riddell's illustrations that further explain the meaning. And there are further links in the back of the book to help adults find more resources. 

Middle Grade Fiction

Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed
Amal is a twelve-year-old girl in Afghanistan. She loves learning and soaks up every moment at school. She dreams of one day going to college and being a teacher. But when her mother sinks into depression after the birth of a new baby, Amal must stay home to watch her younger sisters and help keep the house running. And then something happens at the market, and Amal finds herself an indentured servant in the house of the local landlord everyone fears. At first Amal thinks she'll just be there a few weeks until her family can pay for her release. But then she hears stories about how this man deals with people in debt to him, and she fears that her dreams of being a teacher are gone forever because she'll be stuck a servant for the rest of her life.

Target Readers:

• Building Empathy & Awareness for Sensitive Readers/Contemporary Fiction Fans: This is a "safe" read about modern day slavery for kids. The injustice and unfairness of Amal's situation is abundantly clear as is the abandonment of hope. But overall, her situation is much safer and easier to read about than the reality that many people face in similar circumstances. (The author does say this in a note in the back of the book.) It is actually pretty impressive how Saeed managed to convey the horrors of modern slavery without introducing things that would scar sensitive readers. It is powerful enough to inspire young people to fight against such treatment of fellow human beings without causing nightmares. 
• Readers Curious about Modern Afghanistan Life/Fans of Characters of Color/Readers Reading to Learn about the World/Readers Wanting to Better Appreciate Access to Education: I also appreciated the way the book portrayed the life of an average village girl in Afghanistan without including any insurgent violence or war. Other than the power crazy landlord, Amal’s village is pretty quiet. Amal treasures her education and really conveys what a privilege it is. She also balks at the way people talk about girls and how they seem less than boys in her culture, but it is also explained why the adults think that way. 
• Contemporary Fiction Fans/Memorable Character Fans: Amal's voice is engaging enough that middle graders should feel like this is a good read they would pick up and read on their own without it being assigned.

Giant Trouble (Hamster Princess, #4) by Ursula Vernon
Princess Harriet thought she was on her way home, but then a travelling salesman tries to fast talk her into trading Mumfrey for some supposedly magic beans. Of course Harriet says no, but when the salesman persists Mumfrey takes offense and eats one of the beans. Some horrid gastric distress results and for the good of the kingdom Princess Harriet decides to camp another night instead of going home. In the morning Mumfrey is feeling better but there's been a change of scenery in the shape of a giant bean stalk. Normally Princess Harriet would just chop it down, but there seems to be someone in the cloud stuck at the top of the stalk so she's gotta investigate before clearing the overgrown plant. And of course, nothing can be boring where Harriet goes.

Target Readers:

• Fractured Fairytale Fans: Like all of Princess Harriet’s books, this is a fractured fairytale. This book is a fun twist on Jack and the Beanstalk. 
• Readers Building Awareness & Empathy: The plot involves Princess Harriet freeing someone the giant has been keeping as a slave. It actually tackles slavery in a kid-friendly way, so if you're looking for a way to talk about human trafficking this may be a safe segue. 
• Strong Female Character Fans/Reluctant Readers: Harriet is a plucky, unconventional princess who is much more interested in saving others and cliff jumping than doing typical princess things. She loads of fun for anyone to follow around. With large font and illustrations throughout, her books are also great for reluctant readers who can easily get sucked into the story and be amazed at how fast they finish it.

Little Red Rodent Hood (Hamster Princess, #6) by Ursula Vernon
Princess Harriet is asked to come help a little hamster and her grandmother who live in the woods and are being harassed by weasel-wolves. But when Harriet and Wilbur get to the woods, they find the weasel-wolves not very scary, and one of them even approaches Harriet asking her to keep them safe from another monster in the woods. Weird little girls and were-weasel-wolf-hamsters both asking Princess Harriet for help. What is going on? One thing Harriet knows for sure, she won't rest until she gets to the bottom of this.

Target Readers:

• Fractured Fairytale Fans: In this story, Princess Harriet and gang don’t just fracture Little Red Riding Hood, they totally shatter it. (There’s also some nods to werewolf stories, but don’t worry. It stays safe and fun instead of scary.) 
• Mystery Fans: This Princess Harriet adventure was more of a puzzle than normal. I wasn't sure what was going on for a little while. So readers who like to be kept guessing for a little bit can see if they can figure out what’s going on before Harriet.
• Readers Building Awareness & Empathy: The story involves a form of slavery and trafficking, but handles a very serious topic in a way that kids can grasp and get the main points from without being traumatized. A great read to open the door for a much deeper conversation about real world issues. 
• Humor Fans/Strong Female Character Fans/Reluctant Reader Fans: Princess Harriet is absolutely hilarious in this one (sometimes she gets too excited and doesn’t think things through), and her best friend Wilbur has a full time job trying to talk sense into her. Of course, this is all in the midst of her saving the day with the help of her friends. And see what I said above about Strong Female Character Fans and Reluctant Readers.

Young Adult Fiction

The Bitter Side of Sweet by Tara Sullivan
Amadou and his little brother Seydou came to the cacao farm from their village in Mali believing that they'd be paid every week, sending money home to their families, and once they'd repaid their worth set free. But it has been two years and Amadou has never seen any of the boys paid, and the only way anyone has left is by dying. It's not a great life, but Amadou has learned how to avoid the worst punishments and keep his little brother safe so he'd rather not rock the boat. But then a girl shows up at the farm, a girl who seems to know nothing of work and never signed up to be here and seems to have a bevy of secrets around her. Her fiery spirit awakens a spark in Amadou he thought long dead and buried...a desire to be free. But trying to escape is foolishness...isn't it?

Target Readers:

• Readers Building Awareness & Empathy/Fans of Books with Depth/Heavy Read Fans/Thriller Fiction Fans/Contemporary Fiction Fans/African Setting Fans: Modern slavery is by no means a light topic. And I kept putting off reading this because I was afraid it would be too heavy. It is heavy. But, I did find it an excellent read. Yes, some very harsh things happen to Amadou, Seydou, and the girl, but in the end this book is hopeful. It shocks but doesn't wallow in the filth. It is hard, but important. And the author managed to put together a story that conveys the horror and reality of modern slavery without taking readers to the very worst places that can go (no sex slavery involved). In other words, she created a believable story of modern slavery that will make modern teen readers aware and moved to do something, but not scarring those readers horribly in the process. I was surprised by the depth of plot involved in the story once the kids get away from the farm (can't say too much about this without spoiling things). A great read for teens who want to make a difference in this world. The author provides notes in the back of how people can get involved in encouraging fair trade chocolate and fighting slavery of children cacao workers.

Genius: the Con (Genius, #2) by Leopoldo Gout
Now on the run, Rex, Painted Wolf, and Tunde must figure out how to get out of the US, save Tunde's village from the nefarious general, puzzle out Kiran's true end game, find a way to clear their names and outwit Kiran.

Target Readers:

• High Action Fans/International Setting Fans/Smart Reads Fans: This book, like the first one in the series, would make a fantastic movie (which makes sense, the author is a TV/movie person). It's like a brainiac Bourne movie complete with multiple exotic locales (NYC, Nigeria, Kalkutta (India), and China) but the teens get absolutely no official training, they're just dumped into the midst of some very tough circumstance and don't know who they can trust. They have nothing but their friendship, brains, and their tech skills to get themselves and the people they love out of some seriously dangerous spots. It's a very exciting read. At the same time Gout manages to make all three teens still feel like fairly normal people. They get freaked out when the average person would get freaked out (though given their different personalities, they tend to not all freak out at the same things...which is good), and they don't pull off anything that their previous actions haven't hinted that they couldn’t already do. It's an exciting and fun high octane read. There's not a lot of action in the physical sense, most of the "chase scenes" don't require much movement, they primarily involve brain cells racing to beat tech or a dead line or out maneuver the other guys. It's a smart read and keeps readers guessing about how our three heroes will get themselves out of the next sticky spot. I only guessed one of the twists ahead of time, which doesn't happen too often so I respect a book that can surprise me and keep me guessing. 
• Readers Building Awareness & Empathy: This series tackles a host of human rights issues, but in this book one of the primary plot points revolves around a village in Nigeria that is being enslaved by a warlord. It brings awareness and moves the reader to want the characters to do something. I’m sure many readers will be wondering after reading this what they can do to help real villages in similar situations and could be the start of a great conversation leading to action.

Young Adult Nonfiction

Undaunted: Daring to Do What God Calls You to Do (Student Edition) by Christine Caine
Christine Caine challenges readers to overcome all the things in life that may be keeping them from doing what God has called them to do. She illustrates several examples of possible road blocks by sharing vignettes from her own life.

Target Readers:

• Teen Christian Nonfiction Fans/Inspirational Read Fans: That description does a good job of summarizing this book, but it in no way comes close to conveying how powerful Caine's stories and writing is. She has some super crazy stories, from discovering she was adopted at age 33 to getting lost in the jungle of Australia to how God called her to start an NGO to rescue people from sex trafficking and more. She's been through a lot, but every potential road block was overcome by the power of God in her life. And the end result is very encouraging that no matter what, God can get you to where He wants you to be. There is nothing too big or too hard or too crazy that can stand in the way. The book covers enough different examples of how a person can be daunted that it has applications for every stage of life too, not just someone trying to figure out their "calling" per se.
• Readers Building Awareness & Empathy: Christine Caine started an NGO called A21 that fights sex trafficking worldwide. She shares in this book how that NGO started and about some of their work in getting people out. Since this is the teen version, the stories shared are kept safer. (Click on the book title and scroll down in my review to the content notes for more details.)