Little Princes: One Man’s Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal by Conor Grennan
Victoria is 15 years old and an author of two books. She enjoys traveling, drawing, and surfing.
In the non-fiction book, Little Princes: One Man’s Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal, by Conor Grennan, Conor quits his boring job, takes his life’s savings, and decides to take a vacation around the world for one year. His friends and family tell him that this idea is selfish, so he volunteers at a children’s orphanage in Katmandu, Nepal. His plans: finish the three months of volunteering, show pictures of him helping orphans to his friends, and get on with his vacation. This sounds easy enough, except his feelings get in the way.
At the end of the three months, Grennan realizes that he loves these children. He remembers all of the games he played with Nuraji and Raju, which now mean so much to him. And the time that he had spent with them, waiting for 6 p.m., when the kids went to bed, he was actually going to miss it. Conor finally decides to finish his vacation and then return to the children.
When Conor returns, he learns that these children aren’t actually orphans, but are children rescued from a child trafficker who takes them from their families during the war going on in Nepal. He lies to families and guardians explaining that he will rescue the children from being drafted into war and will take them to a school, where they will learn to write, read, and have more food and clothes than they would ever be able to provide. The parents pay a lengthy sum to give their children the best life they can. When they wait for letters though, they receive none, and after some parents who had been waiting for fourteen years, they come to a conclusion that their children must have died.
Conor wanted to change this and reunite the families. His passion, adventurous spirit, and determination keeps you turning the page to find out if he makes it though the dangerous trek, if he does ever get a girlfriend, and if the children are finally saved and reunited. This true story is so inspiring and I recommend this book for ages 13+ for some language and serious subjects.
