Shaozhen

An evocative and compelling story about one boy living through the 2014 drought in Henan, China.

Shaozhen has no intention of staying in his remote Henan village and becoming another poor farmer: he'll finish school, and then, hopefully, work in a factory in one of the major cities, just like his father. But when Shaozhen returns home for the summer holidays, imagining days filled with nothing but playing basketball with his friends, he's in for a shock. The worst drought in over sixty years threatens the crops that the entire village relies on for income. As the water situation becomes dire, Shaozhen realises he must come up with a plan. But will it be enough to save his family and friends and secure the future of his village?

About the Author

Wai Chim was born in New York City. Although her parents didn't speak much English, Wai harboured a passion for books from a very young age, sneaking stories into bed to read well into the night. Wai graduated from Duke University with majors in Economics and English. After graduation Wai moved to Japan, where she spent over a year teaching English. She has lived in Australia for ten years, enjoying the sun and pursuing her love of storytelling. Wai Chim is the author of a standalone novel for older readers, Freedom Swimmer, and a junior fiction series called Chook Chook.

Series editor and series creator Lyn White has extensive experience as a primary school teacher-librarian and EAL teacher and in 2010 completed postgraduate studies in Editing and Communications at the University of Melbourne. Lyn is passionate about children's literature and has great expertise in engaging students with quality texts. Her work with refugee children motivated her to create the acclaimed Through My Eyes series of books set in contemporary war zones. Lyn created and edited the Through My Eyes - Natural Disaster Zones series to pay tribute to the courage and resilience of children who are often the most vulnerable in post-disaster situations. Lyn continues to teach EAL and is an education consultant and conference presenter.