I don't know how I decided to read this book. It was on a suggested young reader book list. I guess it was the title and the fact that it made me think about how, as a kid, I loved to write and receive letters. In fact over the years I had pen pals just like Martin and Caitlin.
The book is about contrast and the fact that one action can unknowingly change lives forever. Caitlin is from Pennsylvania. She lives in a nice neighborhood and is a typical American teenager. Martin lives in a slum in Zimbabwe. Their lives couldn't been more different.
One day their assignment is to write to a pen pal. For Caitlin it sounds like fun to write to someone in another country. To Martin it is an honor. They make a connection by talking about their lives. Something clicks. At first Caitlin thinks Martin is from a well off family since he goes to a school that you must pay tuition and wears a uniform. But soon she reads between the lines and starts realizing what his life is really like.
They start sending each other little gifts. For Martin it is a sacrifice. Even buying stamps to send the letters is a significant strain on the family budget. But this connection is so important to him that he and his family are willing to do it. In one letter Caitlin encloses a twenty dollar bill. Little did she know how important this gift would be to him and his family. Every time she sent even a small amount of cash it literally saved he and his family from disaster. At the time Zimbabwe was going through a crisis.
Little did she know the gifts she and her family sent would change the lives of two families.
This is a great read for teens and adults alike.
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