Brothers go to work on a cacao plantation in the Ivory Coast to earn money to send home to Mali, but they soon learn it’s a slave camp from which there is no escape. That is, until a feisty girl is dragged into the camp, challenging their ideas of their situation. This YA book tells the gruesome story of unpaid child labor to fulfill the enormous global desire for chocolate. Highly recommended. ( )

Great book ( )

The Bitter Side of Sweet by Tara Sullivan is a brutal glimpse into the 'dark side of chocolate' that graphically reveals how children are sold and kidnapped into slavery. The market chain, much like poaching syndicates, mean that big business and the middlemen are the only ones to profit while the farmers get next to nothing, so are forced to coerce children into free labour. These ignorant children are trafficed from organised crime rings in neighbouring countries; beaten instead of motivated; live in squalour; have no opportunity for schooling; and have no way of escape.

According to UNICEF and the Harkin-Engel Protocol, labour laws, minimum age requirements and mandatory public schooling do exist to eliminate the worst forms of child labour in chocolate production, but there is very little evidence of real change happening. The chocolate companies value a low international price for chocolate and claim that they have nothing to do with the the bands of criminals selling children into slavery.

But there is another way: one where the consumer can influence change for the better; where social and environmental aspects are more in line with profits; where small farmers can receive a fair wage for their crops; and ultimately become proud land owners; and are empowered to become end-product producers, trading their chocolate direct to the consumers. Even if ethical chocolate costs more, we seriously need to rethink the cost of cheap chocolate. ( )

I debated rather to include this title in LEARNING WITH CHOCOLATE: A Homeschool Curriculum for the Whole Family. It was a haunting tale that stayed with me and I would only recommend it to a more mature reader and then allow for discussion afterwards. The life on a cacao plantation is very brutal, dismal, and depressing but also a subject that needs more of a spotlight. This story takes place in our modern world and to know that a boy could be stolen from his homeland, made to work for free, and be deprived of decent food and shelter is something that is not often discussed. The story does find a better ending which gives a brief glimpse of what a fair-trade cacao plantation looks like. Although the main characters are two brothers, Amadou and Seydou, there is a strong female character, Khadija, that makes this title good for both male and female readers. The version I had did include a list of discussion questions.

I like how the three characters learn to trust each other and help each other out and become some sort of a family unit to survive their ordeal and to survive the after effects of their traumatic experience. That is what I think made the characters so memorable and likable and why I ended up buying a copy of this book.

NOTE: There is a debate as to whether Khadija was sexually assaulted by the guards.

2018 Rebecca Caudill Nominee ( )

Child slaves working chocolate plantations today, omg. Disturbing. This YA book ran fairly obviously, especially in the first half, but as soon as we started to know more about the mysterious girl who spurs the escape attempt, I was held rapt. The conclusion felt solid to boot -- not impossibly perfect, but still a reasonably feel-good ending. Recommended, especially for YA audiences. And I'm extra careful to look for Fair Trade labels on my chocolate now.... ( )