Tamba: Child Soldier by Marion Achard and Yann Degruel - ESSENTIAL

Tamba: Child Soldier by Marion Achard, illustrated by Yann Degruel, 105 pages.  GRAPHIC NOVEL. NBM Publishing, 2019. 9781681122366

Language: G (0 swears, 0 ‘f’) ; Mature Content: PG (rape vaguely implied, smoking depicted, drugs mentioned); Violence: PG-13 (a tiny amount of splatter)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE, HS - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Tamba, 8yo, is kidnapped with other children from his village and forced to become a child soldier.  After succumbing to is captors’ cruelties, he finally, years later,  takes a chance to escape. He finds his way to a refugee camp, where he starts to let go of his anger and rebuild his life, though it is never easy.  Then he called before a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to recount what he did during 

the war and what he knows about other’s actions.

With some, but not gratuitous violence, Achard and Degruel show us a sketch of the life of a child soldier - not just in captivity, but also as this one tries to rebuild their life after. The subject matter is handled gently, giving a full picture of war and its aftermath.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS