Secrets in the Fire

Based on the true story of a young girl named Sofia whose family was run out of its village in war-torn Mozambique. Sofia, her sister Maria and mother Lydia resettle in a village of other refugees. But Maria dies from injuries from a landmine that Sofia accidentally set off. Sofia herself loses both her legs and must stay in the city to recover and learn to use her artificial legs. She returns to the village only to find her mother has taken up with a man who drinks and could care less about Sofia. Sofia flees to the city and takes a sewing job. Totio, a tailor she knew from the refugee village, tracks her down and offers her an opportunity: he has gotten too old to sew anymore and wishes to give her his sewing machine and hut back in show more the village. Sofia accepts and starts a new life. show less

This book has very touching plot, and they are understandable. The book is recommended to young adults especially 6th to 9th graders. Although this book is fictional, it is based on the real story of the Sofia Alface, the friend of the author. The words are not to hard, making the book interesting to the readers. Also, since this is based on the real story, the events in the story are realistic, making the reader feel the horror of family mates dying and the scary war.

This novelization by Henning Mankell is a children’s book about another very serious subject, minefields. He has another book about AIDS which is aimed at a slightly older audience, but this book is written for elementary age children. It is the story of Sofia and her family, and what happens when Sofia loses both her legs to a landmine. According to the introduction and notes, It is written in a very basic, sometimes repetitive, style, but that also means it has a bit of an oral tale rhythm. Highly recommended, although for young children, it should be read with an adult present to answer questions (like why the doctors don’t have the medicine, and there are no sheets for the beds).

This book is set in a country in Africa called Mozambique sometime when there was a big civil war, this story, based on a true account, following the life of Sofia and her sister Maria, brother Alfredo and mother Lydia, as they flee bandits who burn down their home and their entire village. They Reset in another village miles away from their homeland, they start to rebuild a new life, until the day Sofia steps on a landmine. She is seriously injured and ends up losing both legs, whilst sister Maria is so badly injured she dies. The story then follows Sofias return to health, learning to walk on two artificial legs and her return to the village to her mum and new man. Not able to live in the household, she makes a new life for herself - show more initlally in the city, before returning as steamstress to the village. This story is very very touching and has a very interesting plot. It makes the reader understand and know about all the bad things happening in this world and how lucky we are to be more fortunate than Sofia. show less

En bra berättelse men händelser går långsamt . Nästan hälften av boken är full om ingenting , och det kan bero på författaren stil .

Powerful about a child vicitm of war.

FROM LIBRARY CATALOG::

"As a victim of a landmine and a child of war-torn Mozambique, Sophia turns to a village elder for advice and soon finds ways to cope with her difficult circumstances in order to grow into a person with great strength and determination."