This book taught me about child labor in the rug factories of Lahore which fits well with my own studies about child labor in the early 20th century in New England, research I did for my novel COUNTING ON GRACE. Sadly I don't think the book is very well written, however the message is delivered.

I read this book for the first time in 4th grade and re-read it again this year. It's truly inspirational, and I would definitely recommend this to anyone who's keen to find out more about the struggles that child workers around the world face every day.

Iqbal Masih, a true martyr and real hero, proved to the world that age truly is just a number. Coming from a region where it is normal to sacrifice children in efforts to pay off family debts, Iqbal refused to settle for this life.

Iqbal, a fictional novel narrated by Fatima, a child slave owned by Hassan Khan to work in his carpet factory. Life at the carpet factory was the same routine daily until Iqbal arrived. On the outside he looked like a regular Pakastani child servant sold into bondage to pay off his families debt. But on the inside he was a brave young man ready to fight for his freedom. Iqbal had an energy about him that let the other children know that it was okay to dream even after his failed attempt at escape. He knew he would be free and made all the other children get with the program.

Iqbal is one of those novels that force you to step outside of your little box and realize that children all over the world are living in extreme circumstances and it should not be so. Iqbal is truly a hero. While reading this novel I thought often that he had more gumption than many adults. Too many times we sit back and allow injustices to happen because we don't want to cause problems or because we don't want to interfere. This book is a quick read and designed for kids ages 8-12.

It's a rather short, fast-paced novel that is able to convey the heart-breaking lives of children forced into slavery/servitude that so many are still facing in our so-called modern world. The novel is based on the real-life of Iqbal Masih and the courage he had to defy what so many had come to accept. He pays the ultimate price for his heroism and this novel does a wonderful job in keeping his memory and his mission alive.

This would make an interesting companion to Counting on Grace -- Iqbal fought child labor in modern Pakistan.