I knew this book was going to make me cry, but what I didn't expect was how often I would laugh. Life in Afghanistan is seen through the eyes of 11 year old Fawad, a boy who has suffered so much loss and seen so much horror in his young life. But, his sweetness, optimism, and ability to describe his world so clearly makes this much more than a sad tale of life in a country torn by the Taliban and years of war.

Love the characters and, while there were many, they were clearly defined so that I wasn't constantly flipping back to figure out who was who (which is something I often have to do since it takes me a long time to finish a book with only a few minutes here and there to read.)

Highly recommend.