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When guerrilla soldiers
strike Santiago's village, they
shoot at everyone in their path. Dos Vias is on fire,
and the night glows red. "Take the cayuco and
sail to the United States of America. Now
go!" Santiago's uncle Ramos tells him, and Santiago
, twelve, and his four-year-old sister, Angelina, flee.
With a map and
a machete, and very little food, Santiago and Angelina set
sail in their uncle Ramos's sea kayak, built for just such an
escape, but not for a sailor who is only a boy. Santiago
heads for the United States on a voyage that will take them
through narrow channels guarded by soldiers, shark infested
waters, and days of painful heat and raging storms.
Santiago knows that he and Angelina probably will die trying
to make the voyage, but they certainly will die at the hands
of rebels or government soldiers if they do not
try.
In this tale
of courage, survival, and triumph, Ben introduces readers to a
danger and fear that is far too real for many children, and he
reminds us of the responsibility and power that the world's
richest nation bears to help end it.
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