Parents need to know that The Red Pencil is a novel in free verse, by Andrea Davis Pinkney, that describes what happened to a 12-year-old girl and her family during the genocide in Darfur, Sudan. Amira's parents warn her about the Janjaweed. Later, the militants attack her village, killing her father and burning her sheep alive, forcing her mother to flee with her and her sister to a refugee camp. Readers will empathize with Amira, but they also will see her inner strength return with the help of her red pencil. The author includes in the back matter definitions of some Arabic words. She also shares her belief in the "power of creativity, and the way art can help us heal." Illustrations by Coretta Scott King Award-winner Shane W. Evans amplify the text.
