Beautiful illustrations. The story is thorough and informative without being too heavy for the target age group.

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book through NetGalley. ( )

Read about Malala, who fought for education in Pakistan; then flip the book to read about Iqbal, a boy who fought against child labor. Both are important stories of children fighting injustice. Author’s Note.

This is the story of Malala Yousafzai, a school girl in Pakistan who proved to be very brave and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.

I was in for a pleasant surprise. It's two biographies in one book. The first story is based on young girl Malala, and the second story is based on a young boy named Iqbal. Both are stories of children who, in their reality, cannot even go to school without the Taliban threatening their lives. I liked this book and the way these two stories of these two strangers who are so different but yet so similar in the cause they were fighting for - Freedom. ( )

There is some debate about reading this book to children, as the children in the book experience suffering as victims of violence. At my school, an International Baccalaureate World School, I would not read this book to children below 3rd grade. This book has so much to contribute to the awareness of children living in America and other developed countries. They may have learned a tiny bit about child labor, but who knew that in Pakistan, your children could be enslaved to pay the debts of their parents?! Iqbal is CHAINED to his loom, weaving carpets that are exported as luxuries to countries like ours. This book would be a great complement to studies of ethics in economics for kids, having them all research the origins of something they are wearing or a favorite toy. The story of Malala is better known, and the way the two stories are connected, as Malala continuing to fight for the rights of children, is beautifully represented on the last page, connected by the string of a kite, like an umbilical cord between two worlds. ( )