The Aral Sea was once a vast ocean that provided occupations and
incomes for the people living on it's coasts, however when government
tests turned it into a toxic wasteland, the people suffered unimaginable
hardships. With their livelihoods gone and their health suffering, they
looked for new ways to survive. For Alexi, Misha and their dad this meant
scavenging the precious metal boosters that fell back to earth from the
nearby cosmodrome. But with rival gangs threatening to take revenge,
this was a dangerous business. The boys had already lost their mother to the
poisons and contamination left behind when the ocean disappeared,
now Misha's seizures were getting worse and more frequent, Alexi knew
he needed help. Fast.

This book is like nothing I have ever read before, and I'm still not sure if
this is a good thing or not! The cultural references to a life and an area I
previously knew nothing about both engaged and confused me. I think books
that open up our eyes to the world around us are extremely valuable
and teach children that there are people suffering unimaginable
hardships everyday. However, I think there needed to be more explanation about
the political and economical situation that led to the destruction of the
Aral Sea becasue my confusion on this issue took away some of the magic for me.

The use of both first and third person description helped the reader to
see the situation through Alexi's eyes and also showed us how the
outside world would view these two street children. You end up feeling
immense sympathy and compassion for them while also recognising the ever
familliar story of poverty and its effects. I know the world around us is
not a pleasant place, however towards the end of the book I could not help
feeling the huge burden of depression that the boys' story creates. Light-hearted
this is definately not.

I think this book has a very useful part to play in the classroom, perhaps for
older teens however as it has some swearing and vivid description. There are
connections with the study of Russia in either history or geography and I
also think this would make an inspiring class reader.