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Some young boys on a soccer team in Thailand were stranded in a cave in 2018 while exploring with their coach. The country and people from across the world came together to save them. Obviously, the rescue was incredible and it‘s a wonderful true story, but the book is written in a way that made it drag even though it was short.

“He could get on a boat that would take him out of their reach forever, where no one would have heard of Namwon or know what his tattoo meant.”

I was not initially drawn to the book, however, as I read I began to enjoy the suspense being built. As a younger reader I think I really would have liked, “A Wish in the Dark”. There is a sense of mystery and unknown while at the same time adventure.

In Christina Soonttornvat‘s 2020 Newbery winning book “A Wish in the Dark” Pong, who was born in prison, escapes and sees the world is just as wrong and unfair as the life he experienced while in prison. He makes friends along the way and experiences food, people, and life like never before. Nok (prison warden‘s daughter) hunts down Pong through Chattana and she has experiences that make her question her prior reality.

#thai food is one of my favorites

#supernatural

This story would be great to use for a class of 4th or 5th graders. The storytelling in the book would be wonderful for those grade levels. This book follows a great journey with many twists and intense scenes that it would keep students interested, while also giving them an inside look on Thai culture.

A Wish in the Dark by Chistina Soontornvat was published in 2020. Won Newbery Award, Jane Adams Children‘s book award, and many more. This is a wonderful fantasy book that focuses on the issues of privilege, protest and justice. This book is set in a fantasy land in Thailand, where you are able to explore the Thai culture. It follows a young boy on the run, with a girl determined to find him, how will the story figure itself out.

“Pong had never thought about escaping Namwon before, but now the opportunity lurched up like a mud-skipper and slapped him across the face with its tail. He could get out of Namwon. Not when he was thirteen. Now.”

Thai version of Les Miserables. Had no idea this was a children‘s book but nonetheless really good.

“Only Baby‘s wide awake, his eyes bright and round.”