Allan Stratton

Chanda's Secrets Allan Stratton

An unforgettable novel about family, loyalty and survival in sub-Saharan Africa -- now a major motion picture.

Chanda's Secrets was first published in 2004 to extraordinary international acclaim. It won the Michael L. Printz Honor Book for Excellence in YA Literature, was an ALA Best Book for Young Adults selection and, in France, was a finalist for the Prix Sorcières. It has now been made into a major motion picture, under the name Life, Above All. The film received a 10-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival and was honored with the prestigious Prix Francois Chalais. To coincide with the film's North American release by Sony Classics, the cover of this new reprint features a poignant still from the movie.

"No-one can read Chanda's Secrets and remain untouched."
-- Stephen Lewis, former UN special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa and current chair of the board of the Stephen Lewis Foundation and co-director of AIDS-Free World

"The message about overcoming ignorance and shame and confronting the facts is ever-present, but the tense story and the realistic characters . . . will keep kids reading and break the silence about the tragedy."
-- Booklist (starred review)

"Smart and determined, Chanda is a character whom readers come to care for and believe in, in spite of her almost impossible situation. The details of sub-Saharan African life are convincing and smoothly woven into this moving story of poverty and courage, but the real insight for readers will be the appalling treatment of the AIDS victims."
-- School library Journal (starred review)