For fans of Linda Sue Park and A Long Way Gone two young boys must escape a life of slavery in
modern-day Ivory Coast Fifteen-year-old Amadou counts the things that matter. For two years
what has mattered are the number of cacao pods he and his younger brother Seydou can chop
down in a day. The higher the number the safer they are. The higher the number the closer they
are to paying off their debt and returning home. Maybe. The problem is Amadou doesn't know how
much he and Seydou owe and the bosses won't tell him. The boys only wanted to make money to
help their impoverished family instead they were tricked into forced labor on a plantation in
the Ivory Coast. With no hope of escape all they can do is try their best to stay alive-until
Khadija comes into their lives. She's the first girl who's ever come to camp and she's a
wild thing. She fights bravely every day attempting escape again and again reminding Amadou
what it means to be free. But finally the bosses break her and what happens next to the
brother he has always tried to protect almost breaks Amadou. The three band together as family
and try just once more to escape. Inspired by true-to-life events happening right now The
Bitter Side of Sweet is an exquisitely written tour de force not to be missed. "A gripping
and painful portrait of modern-day child slavery in the cacao plantations of the Ivory
Coast."-The Wall Street Journal "A tender harrowing story of family friendship and the
pursuit of freedom."-Kirkus Reviews starred review