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A friend of mine recommended this book to me because it was written (in part) by a local author. The other author went to one of my Alma maters, so I definitely felt a real connection to this book almost immediately. It's the story of how a pen-pal assignment changed the lives of two people: a girl from Hatfield Pennsylvania, and a boy from Zimbabwe. Once I started reading this amazing story, I could not put it down.
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This is a very inspiring story about two pen-pals: Caitlin from Pennsylvania and Martin from Zimbabwe. They encouraged and strengthened each other in different ways over many years. Caitlyn came from the upper middle class and Martin from extreme poverty, but they became like family! 4.5 stars!
This is an excellent family read aloud for tweens and older. There are so many themes to discuss, including privilege, education, poverty, colonialism, famine, family, friendship, class, status, wealth, and cultural identities. My 13-year old and I really enjoyed this one. Two thumbs up.
Jan 15, 2015
Ruth
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May 15, 2025
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