By Andrew Clements
Reviewed by TFK Kid Reporter Sydney Turner

Genre: Fantasy

Number of pages: 192

This story is about a girl named Abby, who lives in America, and a boy named Sadeed, who lives in Afghanistan. Abby must complete a project in order to be promoted to the seventh grade. Her assignment is to correspond with a pen pal in a foreign country. When Abby's letter arrives in Afghanistan, Sadeed is chosen to be her pen pal. But in Sadeed's village, a boy writing to a girl is considered to be improper. Therefore, Sadeed writes the letters, but his sister takes the credit. Meanwhile, Abby faces a challenge in her American classroom. When she creates a display about Afghanistan, one parent feels uncomfortable with it and wants it taken down. The school and Abby are faced with a difficult decision. Although Sadeed and Abby live in different places, they have a lot in common.

The characters were believable. I know many kids who have pen pals. There are also some kids like Abby who like to be outside exploring instead of being inside doing homework. I think the purpose of this book is to let kids know more than what is taught in the classroom, about other cultures, countries and people. This book is an excellent example of what reading can teach you.

I would rate this book a 9. I like it because it teaches about friendship between people of different cultures, the strength of such friendships and how to be strong and independent.