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Three children live in the streets of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: orphan Mamo, kidnapped and sold as a slave; his sister Tiggist, who holds down a job; and Dani, a rich boy who runs away from his harsh father and joins Mamo's gang. Their stories are not well integrated, and gang life seems somewhat sanitized, but Laird avoids the pitfalls of bathos and delivers an affecting story.