Diamonds in the Shadow

by Caroline B. Cooney

THE FINCH FAMILY did not know that five refugees landed from Africa on the day they went to the airport to welcome the family sponsored by their church. The Finch family only knew about the four refugees they were meeting - Andre, Celestine, Mattu, and Alake - mother, father, teenage son and daughter.

Soon Jared realizes that the good guys are not always innocent, and he must make a decision that could change the fate of both families. This story presents many points of view and a fresh perspective on doing the right thing.

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Africa, Teen, Thriller

240 pages, Hardcover

First published September 11, 2007

About the author

Caroline Cooney knew in sixth grade that she wanted to be a writer when "the best teacher I ever had in my life" made writing her main focus. "He used to rip off covers from The New Yorker and pass them around and make us write a short story on whichever cover we got. I started writing then and never stopped!"
When her children were young, Caroline started writing books for young people -- with remarkable results. She began to sell stories to Seventeen magazine and soon after began writing books. Suspense novels are her favorites to read and write. "In a suspense novel, you can count on action."
To keep her stories realistic, Caroline visits many schools outside of her area, learning more about teenagers all the time. She often organizes what she calls a "plotting game," in which students work together to create plots for stories. Caroline lives in Westbrook, Connecticut and when she's not writing she volunteers at a hospital, plays piano for the school musicals and daydreams!
- Scholastic.com

Reviews

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

I've been a fan of Caroline B. Cooney ever since reading THE FACE ON THE MILK CARTON years ago. That being said, I was thrilled when I saw she has a new book, DIAMONDS IN THE SHADOW.

True to her contemporary style, Cooney brings in a current events issue - the unexplainable violence taking place in some areas of Africa today. This new book focuses on a group of African refugees coming to the United States to begin living safer and more enriching lives.

Four of the refugees - a father, mother, and two teenage children - are welcomed at the airport by the Finch family. The family's church is sponsoring the refugees and will provide them with a place to live and help in adjusting to life in America. The fifth refugee is met at the airport in New York, but is headed for a new life in Texas.

Not everyone is happy about the new living arrangements. The Amabo family was originally supposed to have their own apartment with the church volunteers helping out as needed. However, an apartment was not available, so they are moving in with the Finches. High school student, Jared Finch, is not at all pleased with this change in plans. His mother may be all excited about teaching this new family the ways of America, but sharing a room was not part of the arrangement.

Celestine Amabo is anxious to start learning about her new surroundings. She is a quick study as Mrs. Finch takes her shopping and teaches her about cooking and cleaning. Andre Amabo's adjustment is hampered by the fact that the uncontrolled violence in Africa resulted in the loss of both of his hands. Instead of learning to work, he is spending time visiting doctors who hope to create at least one artificial hand, enabling him to help in the support of his family.

Jared and Martha (Mopsy) Finch take on the task of helping the two African teenagers deal with school and their new American lives. Mattu adjusts quickly, but Alake doesn't seem to see or hear anything that goes on around her. Jared Finch is suspicious about these strangers right from the start. He doesn't believe they are really family. There doesn't seem to be an emotional or loving connection between any of them.

While the Finch family is working hard to adjust to their new guests, the fifth refugee is in Texas trying to find out where the Amabos are living. It appears that someone in the refugee "family" has something valuable that belongs to him. Is he looking for something related to two mysterious boxes supposedly containing the cremated remains of Mattu's grandparents? Can he find them and will everyone be in danger when he does?

Caroline B. Cooney succeeds once again with a YA novel filled with suspense and action. Adding the current event topic of the African refugee situation, along with the struggle of Americans to understand and help those in need, creates much to think about in DIAMONDS IN THE SHADOW.

[Tracy Reilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good kids' book for critical thinking and expanding horizons. I liked the skeptical teen narrator, who was fighting through his age specific criticisms of the world to find out the truth. I'm going to use this as a summer reading assignment for middle schoolers. I'm glad I chose it.

[Kellee Moye · Rating 4 out of 5]

As Americans most of us do not know the fear and horrors that Africans know. Most of us, in general, do not understand or know about the horrors going on in Africa. In this book, Cooney introduces us to these horrors through an African refugee family that has come to live with an American family in Connecticut.

We begin the book by knowing something is wrong. The family of four have arrived in America, but a fifth refugee has arrived as well. The family is terrified of other refuge, but luckily he is whisked away to another state. This does not stop the terror that the family feels, so the fear continues. The book follows the family's transition in America, but they should not forget why they were scared.

Cooney does a great job of introducing a topic that most young adults will not know about, because she gives us a protagonist that has thoughts and feelings that many of the readers will probably have. He has to learn about the family that is moving in with him, so the reader can learn as well. He also has to overcome some misconceptions and generalizations that he feels about the family. Readers may have some of the same misconceptions. Cooney gently guides the reader to really see the truth and also takes them on a great adventure.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has been sitting on my nightstand for close to a year and I finally decided to pick it up a week ago. The story is tragic and it is a little bit scary to read about all of these things that are happening in Africa when there is very little media coverage. There is one quote that was really strong. They were having a conversation about Jesus forgiving people when Jared, the American boy, compares it to the Holocaust:

"What is the Holocaust?" Mattu asked. “It was this nightmare that happened in Germany in the 1940s. The bad guys penned up several million Jews and slaughtered them. It’s called the Holocaust. Mattu nodded. “We have those in Africa. I’ve been in one.”

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a change of genre and perspective. This book's characters are sad and that feeling permeates the whole book. The father has no hands and the daughter does not speak or acknowledge the presence of others. It is amazing how the family bonds together and becomes one in the end. This is an absolutely amazing book.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

well, i can't say that i've read a book that covers this particular subject matter. and it is handled well, without proselytizing or avoiding any of the really tough emotional issues involved with refugees from war-torn countries. that being said, the ending was way too tidy for my taste. bad guy dies, good guys live, happily ever after. strikes me as classic caroline cooney (whom i haven't read since middle school) novel that uses the thriller genre to bring attention to a wide variety of issues her readers might face. i'll be interested to see what my middle school book group has to say about this title.

[Kyoko · Rating 5 out of 5]

日本語版を読了。
面白くて一気読み。
アフリカの紛争ダイヤモンドや少年兵のこと、難民を受け入れる教会コミュニティとその問題。アメリカ人の気質（白人で中流プロテスタントの人たち）の描き方が見事で、なるほどーと思ったところが多かった。
謎とサスペンスも最後までハラハラの展開で、最後は涙…。楽しい読書でありながら、たくさん学んだこともあり、いちばん好きなタイプの本。

[Delia · Rating 5 out of 5]

An American family of four. An African family of four ... plus one shadow figure with a murderous agenda.

Jared Finch is less than pleased when his parents agree to host the Amabos - an African refugee family - in their home until an affordable apartment can be found for them. It means, among other things, that he will be forced to share his private space with a teenage boy, who shows up carrying the ashes of his dead grandparents in boxes. How weird can things get?

Jared's sister, Mopsy, also shares a room, but the little girl is happy - even excited - to do so. Too bad her roommate turns out to be a skinny teen so traumatized by the horrors of her past that she no longer speaks, and barely knows there is a world around her. Dead, but still breathing.

As the two families learn to co-exist under the same roof, each of them has much to learn. The Amabos come from a lifestyle and culture their hosts don't even want to imagine; the Finch family is dealing with a painful betrayal of their own. In the midst of all the newness and scars, each member of the group learns and grows.

Perhaps more than any of the others, Jared finds something changing within himself. Then he becomes aware of the danger stalking the refugees - and, by association, his own family. Will he find a way to save his new friends without compromising the safety of his own household?

Diamonds in the Shadow is a dynamic blend of suspense, mystery, family relationships - and just plain good reading. Probably best categorized as young adult fiction, it's a tale that will be enjoyed by many adults, as well. It digs in and won't let go. The author paints vivid pictures of a war-torn country and it's scarred and beaten citizens, while underscoring this harsh reality with the healing power of love, compassion, generosity, and humanity. Pages turn, hearts pound, tears fall ... and the last page comes all too soon, leaving the reader wanting to know what happens after.

Excellent storyline, believable characters, great writing!

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like many of Caroline B. Cooney's books, this one is suspenseful, but unlike some, the suspense works for an adult reader as well as I'm sure it will for middle and high school students. Additionally, this book has some very strong characterization. From the moment the Finch family first meets the family of four refugees from Africa that they have agreed to help, they realize that things are not as they expected. They speak English fluently - although Celestine and Andre, the parents, have strong accents, and Mattu the son speaks perfect British accented English, and the daughter, Alake, does not speak at all. In fact, Alake is completely non-responsive. The family doesn't seem particularly affectionate with each other, or even particularly concerned with each other's well-being. And Mattu carries two cardboard boxes full of what he claims are the ashes of his grandparents, and yet, neither of the parents seems eager to claim their parents' remains. What the Finch family does not know is that by escaping their African refugee camp and arriving in America, the Amabos have not reached safety; a fifth, dangerous refugee was on their plane, who will pursue them if he is able. There are passages in the story describing some of the violence experienced by Andre and Alake, which are uncomfortably graphic, but they seem to be drawn from an ugly reality experienced by many African victims of civil wars and genocide, and they help to make understandable Alake's reactions - or lack thereof. Jared and Mopsy Finch, the children of the sponsors seem to be more sensitive to the needs of these refugees than most of the adults involved, and even Jared, initially reluctant, whiny, and unlikeable, behaves in admirable ways to shield and protect them.

[Cal Malone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Diamonds in the Shadow is about an American family, the Finches, taking in an African family the Amabos. The Finches are made up of Kara, the wife/mother, Drew, the husband/father, Mopsy/Martha a playful sixth grader and Jared their unenthusiastic teenage son. The Amabos include a mother/wife named Celestine, a father/husband named Andre who got his hands chopped off in Africa, a speechless daughter named Alake and an eager teenage boy named Mattu who has incredible English. I think the name Mattu is awesome.

I learned that caring for a family of complete strangers wouldn't be very easy. Caroline B. Cooney is a very great author and in my opinion a master of suspenseful and descriptive books. I would give Diamonds in the Shadow five out of five stars. Caroline B. Cooney is such a moving author. Before I read this book I read Code Orange by Caroline B. Cooney, which I also thought was a spectacular book. Code Orange wanted to make me read more of her books which is why I read this outstanding book. Read about how the Finches and Amabos change emotionally and learn to become one happy eight person family that they can count on. I thought Diamonds in the Shadow was a fantastic book and I think you will too.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jon has provided us with the experience of having his African friends over at Christmas...and once we attended an African fireside with him that was entirely in French (a language that I do not speak). However, this book takes the hospitality a step further by following the lives of an American family who opens their home to African refugees. Gratitude is too weak a word for what we should feel as Americans who are so blessed with the amazing extent of prosperity and peace we have compared to a huge population on this planet. Also explored were themes of family,forgiveness,and the various faces of good and evil. A suspenseful and thought provoking read with an ending too neat for real life, but just perfect for a YA book.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jared Finch is informed by his parents that he must share his home and room with refugees from Africa. Jared can't believe this is happening to him - the church needs to figure out something else! After meeting the refugees, Jared wonders if they are really the family they are suppose to be - they don't seem to act like any family Jared knows. Mattu has come to America carrying 2 shoeboxes - he tells the family that they contain the ashes of his grandparents, but Jared quickly figures out that he is lying - they actually contain raw diamonds. Great mystery about the diamond trade of Africa.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the church's apartment falls through, Jared Finch is horrified to learn that his family will be hosting a family of refugees from Africa. No one asked him if he wanted to share his room with a complete stranger. The refugees have all been scarred by the horrors of civil war, and inadvertently put the Finch's in danger.

Very captivating, the plot line moves quickly and danger is always just around the corner. Remember reading the Face on the Milk Carton?--same author, same great suspense.

[Mrs. Pauly · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are a mystery lover, Caroline Cooney can write a good mystery and she has a sleu of them. In Diamonds in the Shadow, the Finch family and their church volunteer to assist an African Refugee family in coming to America. Soon, the son, Jared Finch, starts to realize that this family may not be who they seem. He is trying to give them the benefit of the doubt because their country is in the middle of a civil war and the refugees have seen horrific things. But should he discard his intuition when his family may be in danger?

[Sherrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another of the Florida SSYRA (Sunshine State Young Reader Award) books for next year's 6th to 8th graders. This book is a little heavy, featuring elements of African civil war, blood diamonds, religious doubt, embezzlement and a murderous refugee forcing other Africans to take on false identities as they seek asylum in the USA. The last quarter of the book is full of tension and suspence, which makes up for a slow beginning. Struggling readers may be put off by the pace of the book, but more able readers will enjoy this unique tale.

[Lana Tessler · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Mrs. Tessler's Room: Culture Shock

Surprisingly irritating to start - the main character is an obnoxious little twerp for the first few chapters and I found him, even for a teenager, surprisingly obnoxious and uncaring. After that, however, this book absolutely devoured me due to the plight of the African family that moves in with Jared's family. The characters are interesting and realistic with a great deal of pathos. The puzzles slowly come together through the book, silhouetted on a backdrop of social issue and human suffering.

[1 Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a mystery, by Caroline B. Cooney, the same author as "The Face on the Milk Carton". It is about 5 African Refugee's that come to America, but the papers say that only four plan to attend in the Finches house. They don't know why the phone rings and freak out when someone knocks on the door. What are they so scared about? Another mystery is the teenage boy, who's supposedly only luggage is his dead grandparents ashes......What are the Finches going to do? Who is the 5th African Refugee,and where is he? Are the ashes of his grandparents really ashes?

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm really not normally in to stories like this, as I'm more familiar and accustomed to the travel side of things rather than the touching refugee story. This is both in one. Mopsy and Jared got exceedingly annoying at first, but their maturation process upon the arrival of Matu, Celeste and the others is very noteworthy. Cooney's realism is stunning, what with the use of grandma's ashes as carriers for blood diamonds.

[Amii · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were holes in the story that I had a hard time getting past. For example, how do kids just show up at school with refugees and there is no enrollment procedure? I struggled through this book but was relatively happy with the ending.

[Lorraine Stinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good suspense as expected from Cooney. The tie in to brutal civil war in Africa is handled well. A little over the top with the religious themes.

[Fritzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book I read is called DIAMONDS IN THE SHADOW written by Caroline B. Cooney. After reading this book, I placed it in the genre of an adventure/mystery type of book.
I have to say this book was really interesting to read; in some parts it left me in suspense to find out what would happen next. At times I would stop and think about how the characters felt during the experience that they were going through. This reminded me of foreign exchange students when they come into a country, they don't know much about the country they have come too. In other ways it reminded me about immigrants entering different countries to find a better way of life and to find jobs. This I thought about a lot as I continued reading my book, how they probably felt as they came to the country illegally or having paperwork making it legal. Overall this book was enjoying to read, very interesting. This book made me think a lot about how in ways it's similar to how the world is right now and how it would possibly be in later years.
This book starts with the Finch family: Mom, Dad, Jared and his little sister Mopsy. They are at a church meeting finding out about the the refugee family that was coming from Africa. Everyone who was helping out was extremely excited about this family coming to the states, to Connecticut. Jared's was horrified when finding out that his parents agreed in taking in the family and that he would have to share his room;his sister on the other hand was so thrilled. A while before the African refugees were due to arrive the representative from the Refugee Aid Society, kirk Crick, came to the Finches' house to tell Jared's parents about the money that was gambled away by the person who was in charge of the money, Brady. The Finch family doesn't know that five refugees landed from Africa on the day they go to the airport to welcome the family sponsored by their churched. They have only learned about the four refugees their meeting: Andre, Celestine, Mattu and Alake - father, mother and teenage son and daughter. The Amabo family, who have suffered through a lot back in Africa, begin adjusting to life in the Finches' home. The fifth refugee managed to enter the country undetected and the Amabo family has something of his, something they agreed to bring into the country for him. What was it that the Amabos' brought into the country and why is it important? Read the book and find out!
The author of this book is Caroline B. Cooney, who was born in 1947 and grew up in Old Greenwich, Connecticut. She began writing in college. Cooney is a master of mixing spellbinding suspense with thought-provoking insight into teenagers' lives. Diamonds in the Shadow was named 2008 ALA/YALSA Quick Pick and was a nominee for the Edgar Allen Poe Awards. As the book continues, readers learn more more about the fifth refugee, a dangerous killer, and how large a threat he really is, not only to the Amabos but to the Finches as well. Alake is forced into a terrifying scenario that will affect everyone living in the Finch household. Again to find out what happens read the book to find out.

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pairing with Son of a Gun
Diamonds In The Shadow
Realistic Fiction

Pairing
Paired with Son of a Gun because they both deal with Civil Wars in Africa. A family of refugees comes to America, but they are not who people think they are.

Audience
I would give this book to a student after they completed Son of a Gun. I would also recommend reading Son of a Gun before reading this book. This would be an excellent book to give a teacher beginning a discussion on refugees and conflicts in Africa.

SOL
WHII.16 The student will demonstrate knowledge of cultural, economic, and social conditions in developed and developing nations of the contemporary world by
a) identifying contemporary political issues, with emphasis on migrations of refugees and others, ethnic/religious conflicts.

Review Source
Brenna Shanks (VOYA, October 2007 (Vol. 30, No. 4))
Awards, Honors
Christopher Award for Books for Young People, 2008; ALA-YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, 2008; NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People, 2008; Junior Library Guild Selection

Selection Criteria
o Authority: Caroline Cooney has personally sponsored refugees from Western Africa in her home. She provides detailed African refugee statistics in the back of the book which she obtained from the United Nations and Church world Service, and the book, Hungry Planet.
o Accuracy: The book presents realistic situations about African fighters and warlords. The African family’s reactions to things in America are what would be expected. She does a great job explaining how diamonds can get through x-ray machines.
o Relevance to Curriculum: Reviews recommend this book for ages 12 to 18. After reading Son of a Gun, the reader will enjoy applying the background knowledge to the plot. The topic of refugees is presented through the dialog in the book.
o Appropriateness: There is a small amount of violence towards the end of the story, but it is not graphic enough to be disturbing.
o Scope: The book covers the brutality of the Civil Wars in Africa and their causes, including diamonds and how they are obtained in Africa. The topic of children being kidnapped to be soldiers is discussed.
o Literary Merit: This book has won various awards and has received mostly positive reviews from professionals. Each chapter is broken up into smaller parts helping the reader transition to the next topic. The book moves back and forth between two stories which helps maintain interest.
o Value to the Collection: This book can be read for pleasure, but is also has instructional merit when dealing with social and economic cause and effects of War.

Ordering Information
Diamonds In The Shadow, by Cooney, Caroline B. c2007 by Delacorte Press. Library Binding: 9780385902786 $18.99

[Mason Frey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Diamonds in the Shadow by Caroline B. Cooney
Review by Mason Frey

Diamonds in the Shadow takes place in current day Connecticut. The Finches are a family made up of Kara, a wife and mother of two children, Drew, the husband and father, Mopsy, the playful and crazy sixth grade daughter, and Jared, the unenthusiastic teenage son. And the refugees are Celestine, the mother of two children a boy and a girl, Andre, the handless husband and father, Alake, the teenage girl who doesn’t speak, and Mattu, the strong athlete-like teenage son who is incredibly optimistic and kind, who also has an unusual British accent the other refugees don’t possess.

In this book the Finches decide to take in a family of African refugees. The Finches job is to teach this refugee family how to properly function in America. The refugee family has no clothing except the rags they had in the refugee camp. The only other things they have are two egg cartons supposedly filled with the ashes of Mattu's and Alake's dead grandparents. The Finches teach the refugee family how to drive, shop, work, use the internet, and basically live their new life. At first the Finches don't notice the little things that Jared and Mopsy begin to see, like the fact that Andre won't look at his daughter and the refugee parents don’t seem to care about their children. Soon the Finch children get suspicious. What's really in those egg cartons? What the Finches don’t know is that there was a fifth refugee on the plane from Africa and that he is trying to harm the refugee family that they took into their household.

This book is a great mystery book because it is full of suspense and secrets. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to sit down and read a good suspense-filled book.
Caroline B. Cooney has written many other great books and won many awards. She also wrote Code Orange and Face on the Milk Carton. I like that this gets a point across about how bad it is for some people in Africa right now and that one American family taking in a refugee family and teaching them how to live in their new home can make a big difference in their lives. This is one of my favorite books I've read. It is the first book I have read that made me stop and think about how hard it must be to blend into a new culture when you have been scarred and left for dead in a country where there is no law. This book made me realize what great lives Americans have in a country where there is peace and law and freedom.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the apartment that the Amabo family was to stay in falls through - Jared is forced to share his bedroom with Mattu - their teenage son. He is not very happy about this -not happy at all. Mopsy, Jared's younger sister, is overjoyed at the fact that their teenage daughter Alake will be bunking with her.

The Amabo family are refugees from Africa. They have received passage to the states and are being sponsered by Jared's church. They will help to give them training and find jobs - but there is trouble from the start. The biggest being that the fifth refugee on the plane doesn't like not being in control. Then Andre Amabo, the father, has had his hands chopped off during the war in Africa - one at the wrist, the other at the elbow. Alake doesn't speak - and doesn't appear to hear either. She has to be prodded to even eat. And what is up with Mattu and the two cardboard boxes that contain the ashes of his grandparents?

Jarod doesn't believe in the same God that his parents do, and that the Amabo's seem to also. He feels praying is a waste of time. But while the Amabo's are staying with them, his reality begins to change. He finds that doing things for other people really isn't that much trouble. He discovers that his younger sister isn't so annoying, but has great insight and can even be trusted. And he discovers what secrets the ashes of Mattu's grandparents contain. What he does with that information will decide the fate of both families - but will he make the right choice?

This would be a great book for middle schoolers and maybe early high school. It is well written, but seems a little simplistic for older than that. I would not recommend it for younger thatn middle school because of some of the violence that it describes.

People are not who or what you expect in this book - and that helped to make it a quite a page turner. I was able to read it in just two sittings.

[Ryan Leff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was by far one of the best books i have read. In the begging of the book we learn that Jared Finch has a Mom, Dad, and A sister named Mopsy. Jared's parents have voulenteered to take in African Refugees for survival, And when Jared finds out about it, he gets angry. Not only because he doesn't know the family, but because they are sleeping in his room, using his supplies, and watching on his "Glorious" T-V. When the Family moves in, Jared meets Andre the Brother, Alake the sister, and Victor the Siblings closest friend, Also the two Parents. Jared isn't really friends with Andre or Victor so he ignores them. On the other hand, Mopsy and Alake get along like best friends. A little bit later into the Book Victor gets an offer from a dangerous kid to "Highjack" a school. Victor takes the offer. As he enters the school with an Assault Rifle he then tells everybody to hide on the walls, then calls Alake. He forces her to come down to the school and help him, She refuses to, but he threatens to kill her if she doesn't. She then does, and doesn't talk about it again. Then the parents of Jared decide to buy a dog for the family, The family wanted to name it sparkle or something close to that claims Jared so Mopsy goes to buy the collar, so what does Mopsy do? she names the dog Jopsy. Now we go towards the ending, Jared and Andre are starting to become closer, And Alake is getting in trouble. Ever since Victor brought her into that whole situation, she has been cutting school, smoking and other bad things. So she decides to pick-lock a car. In the attempt of ir the owner comes out chasing after her, i guess Alake doesn't know the "Look Both Ways" signal and gets hit by a car. In the hospital, the whole family shows up. She apoligizes and promises not to do anything like that again, then sadely the family must move back to africa.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book, it kept me going to where I was interested all the way through and I look forward to reading other books by Caroline B. Cooney. Definitely a recommended book for any one who wants a good read for DAnville's Historical Fiction Challenge.

The African family is introduced to many new things from Super Markets to Computers to Ovens, it is amazing realizing how many opportunities we have and then these African families come and feel like they live in a palace when we feel like it's just any other regular house.

Africa has always caught a point of interest in me and learning about their culture and the way they used to live fascinates me. I feel that these people who have been through nasty civil wars right beside their homes must have terrible trauma from the wars. In America, people think that the war is terrible, which it is but, when you can sit at home and be safe, not worrying about bombs falling down onto your house. It is truly amazing that though all of the controversy Africans have gone through, they still stay strong in the end. This book has shown me to cherish what I have and to realize that I am very safe in my own house.

When the refugees came to America they came hiding something, something very valuable that can even potentially cause a dirty civil war. One big cause of civil war is blood diamonds, illeagly mined, raw diamonds. The effect of these diamonds amaze me, who knew stones could cause such calamity.

This was an amazing book that kept me occupied the whole entire way through and the ending amazed me. Recommended to HF Readers.

[missdoctor.fmalchemist Ps130ES · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caroline B Cooney does it again! (in my opinion) ______SPOILERS AHEAD______
The first of her books I ever read was If The Witness Lied. I love that Cooney doesn't shy away from difficult story matter. Not many people can write about murder and make the reader feel guilty.

Many people have cited this book for being unrealistic. "There's no way they would have gotten into the country in the first place with that kind of paperwork"(you really think so? have you seen the news recently?) Perhaps, but it is stated that an organization was/had been working with them. "There's no way Victor could have driven the whole way from Texas to New York like that without getting pulled over" I doubt he drove like that everywhere. He WAS trying to avoid suspicion. He sweet-talked that library lady into getting information off the net. My explanation: He was THAT close to getting those diamonds back.

Okay but enough of me.
Mrs Cooney once again tells a tail that's got just enough in it. Plot, character development, backstory, mystery. I'm also very happy that the focus was not, in fact, on Jared's character development from typical teen to a nice, Christian boy. Working with Alake and Mopsy was good, seeing as how a 12 year old might be more affected by strangers from Africa than a 16 year old teenager would. And Alake's story is important to the plot and to the Amabo families storyline.

Andre and Mattu's role in the story as the voice of reason makes the plot just thaat much more interesting. Since they both seem more like father and son, it makes Jared's theory that they are lying a little bit harder to believe.

Sooo...
that's my 2 cents.

[Zakaria Faid · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Finches' are an ordinary family living in Connecticut that undergo a very strange and unexpected yet mysterious experience. They were given a refugee family that immigrated from Liberia and Seychelles by their local church. Despite their knowledge of the upcoming visit ahead of time, the Finches' continued to live as if the visit would take place any minute. Subsequently, the Finches' happiness was replaced by such grand unfairness and surprise to the conditions in which the Amabo family was; Andre, 'the father' got his hands chopped off, Celestine, 'the mother' couldn't complete school, Mattu, 'son' well-educated, discreet, and mature to have forgotten his awful past, Alake, 'daughter' deaf and became mute after she killed several people in Africa including her parents.

As a matter of fact, this refuge family is not composed of four members but five, forasmuch as the fifth member immigrated to Texas undetected. Immediately after the church community members got informed of this ploy, tension increases in the local church, Amabo family and the Finch family. A few weeks later, Mopsy Finch was kidnapped by Alake and the fifth member (Victor, murderer and Alake's boss). This involves Jared and Mattu to skip school in order to search for Mopsy despite the fact that Victor might murder them. Subsequently, after Mospy escaped safely, Jared learned that Victor was merely in need of the diamonds that the Amabos brought for him and the Finch family learned that the Amabos weren't all one family but a combination of over three families.

Sometimes doing the right thing results in negative impacts...

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about how an upper middle class Christian family takes on a family of refugees from Africa who aren't who they seem to be. It's a contemporary, roughly upper-end of middle grade, I would say and beginning YA. The characters are good and none of them are perfect, which I like. The characterization was fairly light but that doesn't mean it was thin. There was just enough for them to stand out as real people. Normally, someone like Mopsy would have annoyed me--being played as ingratiating and cutesy, but she has a core of determination that I really enjoy. Jared is a bit of a brat but that's understandable at his age. Though honestly I enjoyed all the characters, especially Mattu and Alake. I enjoyed how Cooney gave them dark backstories set in real world situations without making the overall tone of the story dark. And I think overall, this book gives a good look at the other side of life and how scary it can be.

Downside: the characterizations were a bit too light at times and some threads were never fully reached. (which is fine in a way, that's what life is about) also the bad guy didn't seem to have any justification but being a brutal nasty man...and those exist but it definitely requires a stretch of imagination what he does. Other things require a stretch, too. But it's not a long stretch and it's worth it. Would I read it again? Nah, probably not. But for what I did read it was a pretty decent little story.

[LeAnne · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a civil war, nobody is innocent, the aid society worker warns the American family who has agreed to receive an African refugee family. No one but fifteen-year-old Jared seems to be listening. The sponsoring church committee is a bunch of naive American do-gooders who dont really believe in the existence of the evil the Africans are fleeing. In our society there is always a solution to any problem. (Well, maybe not getting Republicans and Democrats to work together, but that doesnt come into this book.)

I'm not usually a fan of books that jerk you from one point-of-view to another, but Cooney has used widely divergent views of the same scene to effectively highlight the contrast in thinking between the African refugee teens and young members of their host family. And no contrast could be greater. The Africans may be ignorant of refrigerators and cell phones, but the Americans are ignorant of the far more dangerous realities the Africans have left behind, or at least, they would like to leave behind. There was a fifth refugee on that plane, and he is very dangerous.

The contrast in viewpoint can be humorous (A kid gets detention for being repeatedly late for class. They detained him in a prison camp?! , but it is also starkly revealing. Readers will come away with a greater appreciation of the life they take for granted and a new awareness of what matters most.

[Josephine Sorrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Finch family has opened their home to an African refugee family who are moving to Connecticut. The Amabo family of four— Andre, Celestine, Mattu, and Alake: father, mother, and teenage son and daughter— arrive in great hope as they have escaped the tyranny of Africa. What the Finch family doesn’t know is that there are not just four refugees in this Amabo family, but five.

The Amabo family begins to adjust to life in the Finches’ suburban Connecticut home and there is a great deal of good will. But the fifth refugee does not believe in good will. This lawless rebel has managed to enter America undetected. And the Amabo family has something of his—something that they agreed to carry into the country for him When Jared, the oldest Finch son, realizes that the good guys are not always innocent, he must make a decision that could change the fates of both the Finches and the Amabos. from www.carolinebcooney.com

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