Amal Unbound - Book Review

Amal leads a very content life and dreams about becoming a teacher one day.  But the powerful Khan family rules over her silent village and life takes a serious turn when she finds herself a slave at their enormous estate.  The story set in Pakistan is very much like what happens in India too.  It is so heart wrenching to learn about kids who take on the family burden when they should be enjoying their childhood and pursuing their future.

The author has portrayed Amal very mature and responsible.  But I wonder if a 12 year old kid would be so mature, maybe because their life is very different from ours.  What we take as granted is a luxury for them.  There were episodes which were provocative and portrayal of some violence, but nothing too gruesome.  It sure is a kids read with gripping facts about the nature of crime all around us.  It gives the idea of indenture servitude which still exists in our modern world.  It showcases stereotyping and gender discrimination along with socio-economic status quo.  But as with any children's book, this too has a fairy tale ending which brings a mood uplift.  I think this would be a inspirational read for middle grade kids