Angel Boy(2008)

Bernard Ashley

The school holiday should be fun for Leonard, but he is stuck at home in his hometown of Accra, far away from where his friends from school live. His Nana is not much fun and his father is almost always away at work, leaving Leonard feeling lonely and bored. Looking to eke some fun out of the holiday, Leonard hops a tro-tro bus to Elmina, a historic European fort built to imprison slaves before they were shipped off to the Americas. Not only does Elmina attract many tourists, it also attracts street children and gangs. Before Leonard knows what is happening, he's kidnapped by the toughest gang of all, who plans to use his angelic face to fleece tourists. How will he escape from this living nightmare? Bernard Ashley’s thought-provoking Ghanaian story, set in the poverty-driven underworld of gangs, leads young readers to a taut, thrilling climax.