Prue Mason

This book is about two different boys were are faced with the same problem. Neither of the boys spoke the same language yet they must work together towards the same goal. What happened was that there were planes crashing into the this tall building in Sudia Arabia and one boy lived in a city but the other boy worked for bad men who raced camels. The boy who lives in the city is evacuated from the city but neither of his parents are home so then he must travel with his friends parents. The other parents have other kids and one is allergic to dogs so the boy must leave his dog behind and he gets mad about that. So when the caravan of vehicles stops for gas he goes into the restroom and stays there. But then the cars leave and forget him and leave him there. So then the boy is left on his own and he tries to go back to his city to rescue his dog and hopefully find his mom or dad. Then the other boy works for bad men and they don't especially like him either. So he tries to run away from them but when he does he meets up with the other boy. Then they work together to try and get back to the city to find safety. Neither of them can understand each other but yet they manage to find safety even though it takes them weeks and they go to many different places.
I gave this book a five star rating because there wasn't anything i didn't ike about it. One thing that I did really like was that the author wrote the book in two perspectives, one from each boy. So then you could see what both boy was thinking and wanting to do. Also how it was easy to tell which boy's perspective it was in because each boy had their own font in the book. I also liked how the boys are completely different yet they both want the same thing. I also liked how the boys met each other and how even though they would argue and have different views on things they still worked together to can safely to where they needed to go. So this is why i gave this book a five star rating.… (más)

It is a rare treat for me to stumble upon a book that speaks to the reality of coming of age as a global nomad, or third culture kid (TCK). Prue Mason’s “Camel Rider” is one of those treats. The story is about a biz kid living in a compound in a fictional oil town somewhere in the Arabian peninsula, and his collaboration with one of his host-nationals (neither of whom speak the other’s language) to survive a harrowing journey through the desert.

What to me is particularly refreshing about this book is that – unlike books written about traumatized expatriate kids making their first move to their first foreign post – in this book, life in an expat compound in the Middle East is taken for granted as normal. There is nothing exotic or exciting about it from the perspective of the protagonist, until bombs start flying. That is the way living abroad really feels to a Third Culture Kid. It’s just normal.

Layered on top of this TCK sense of normalcy, there is the actual story, as described by the publisher (Charlesbridge):

“War has broken out in the Middle East and all foreigners are fleeing. Instead of escaping with his neighbors, Adam sneaks off to save his dog, which has been left behind. Lost in the desert, Adam meets Walid, an abused camel boy who is on the run. Together they struggle to survive the elements and elude the revengeful master from whom Walid has fled. Cultural and language barriers are wide, but with ingenuity and determination the two boys bridge their differences, helping each other to survive and learn what true friendship is.”

It is a fun little read, and well worth the effort to track down a copy.… (más)