Teen Book Review: Prison Boy by Sharon E. McKay

Amazon Summary:

     Little Kai is brought to the orphanage run by Bell, a fearsome Englishwoman whose dedication to her charges is unflinching. There, an older child, Pax, immediately takes Kai under his wing. It soon becomes apparent that Kai is a brilliant child, and given the right circumstances, could go on to achieve great things.
      Penniless and living amidst political strife and constant uncertainty, the children are nonetheless taken care of and protected -- until Bell dies and they are left on their own. Pax is determined to keep Kai safe, and to make sure he gets the education he deserves. But life on the streets is tough -- and dangerous.
      In a desperate attempt to make enough money to keep Kai in school, Pax agrees to work for a shady character known only as Mister. Mister sends Pax on a "special" mission -- carry a very heavy box to a pre-arranged location, and wait there. At the very last minute, Pax realizes that the box contains a bomb; it explodes, killing and maiming hundreds of people.
      Pax and Kai escape the deadly explosion, only to be arrested soon after and charged with terrorism. What follows is a descent into the hellish prison where brutal guards stop at nothing to make Pax talk. As a means of survival, he retreats into a magnificent fantasy world and finds himself on a journey of hope and discovery.
     This haunting novel brings home the tragic situation in which children in over 40 countries are tortured with impunity. But it also speaks to the strength of love under the most dire of circumstances.

 

Book Review:

      Prison Boy by Sharon E. McKay is an interesting look at the struggle for life in an unfortunate situation. It follows the story of an orphan living in a slum and doing whatever he can to keep himself and his brother-like friend safe, fed, and as comfortable as they can be. It shows just how important money can be for those without it, and how harsh the world can be.

     Though this isn’t a very big book, I found myself easily attached to the characters, hoping that something would work out in their favour and seeing why they would feel a certain way. In Orillia we don’t know how bad the character's conditions really could be but it was descriptive enough to give a good idea, and that contributed to connecting with the characters. I would recommend this book because it’s a better look into lives of the less fortunate that’s more understandable than different campaigns to raise money for places like in the book, so it gives more meaning to those things. I also thought it started out slowly but later on the storyline consistently progressed, so it was exciting.

 

Ian (Teen Reviewer)