Diamond Boy - Softcover

Praise for Diamond Boy An Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award FinalistAn Amazon.ca Best Books of December 2014 for Children and Teens Selection* "A compelling novel that brings home the desperate lives of exploited poor, and Diamond Boy will give every civilized reader pause...More than simply a good read, Diamond Boy is a multilayered, teachable novel with a variety of approaches and is highly recommended for middle and high school collections."--VOYA (starred review)

*"[A] riveting tale...Williams draws from real events to bring this harrowing story to life, infusing Patson's narrative with terrifying accuracy. Along the way, the story crosses over with Williams's 2011 novel, Now Is the Time for Running, though readers need not be familiar with that book to be gripped and horrified by the troubles facing Patson and his nation."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"[A] compelling epic...operatic in scope and intensity...A haunting, harrowing tale guaranteed to give "bling" a whole new meaning."--Kirkus Reviews

"Deft, unflinching prose. Teens will be left haunted by Patson's harsh yet essentially hopeful journey, where greed, despair, luck, and wonder intertwine on the diamond fields of Marange."--SLJ

"Williams' fast-paced, tension-packed story is filled with cliff-hangers, [and] perils...a satisfying and eminently readable novel."--Booklist

"Williams's portrayal of middle-class, cell phone-carrying African youth will give readers a different perspective on the modern continent, even as some of its people still cling to the belief in shavi, or luck granted by the ancestors. Patson's shavi is strong, but the diamonds' ability to either transform or destroy a life is something he continues to wrestle with through the very last page."--Horn Book

"This is a harrowing read, no doubt, ... but Williams ably weaves in moments of kindness and small successes that keep things from feeling completely hopeless. Extensive end material offers historical context for the diamond industry in Africa, land mines, and the connections to the author's earlier work."--The Bulletin

"Diamond Boy is an important and eye-opening book, told with heart."--Patricia McCormick, author of the National Book Award Finalist Sold

Working in the Marange diamond mines in the hope of finding a stone that will change his family's fortunes, 15-year-old Patson Moyo finds his dreams shattered by Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe's brutal regime. Simultaneous eBook. 20,000 first printing.