Shaozhen

Gr 6–10-Shaozhen lives in the Chinese village of Hongsha. He loves basketball and dreams of moving to the city to continue his senior studies instead of becoming a farmer. When Shaozhen comes home from Xifeng, where he's attending school, he finds that the village is confronting a harsh reality. Shaozhen's home province, Henan, is going through one of the worst droughts in history, which has brought life on the farm and in the village to a standstill. The village's water source has become nonexistent. Shaozhen's cousin Yangyang, who has lived through this before, becomes very resourceful at finding water for the family and the village. She draws strength from her life in the Sichuan province. The book invites readers to experience life in a tight-knit community filled with hardworking people who must deal with the bureaucracy of a Communist regime. Shaozhen's passion for basketball becomes less of a priority, and instead he jumps in and takes a lead in helping his village elders. The time line and glossary in the back matter are both very helpful.