The Red Pencil

The Red Pencil by Andrea Davis Pinkney

A family lives in a part of Darfur, Sudan. They are traditional farmers and Muslims. One of the girl's friends is going to move to the city. There she can attend a school and sell to others. The girl's family want her to maintain a traditional role and don't want to move. The girl has a sibling with some deformities and a sheep. One day some of another group come in and burn their farm. The sheep were burned. Some people die and the family needs to move to a refugee camp. The conditions were not great, but they are alive. They do see a TV and see the school that the girl's friend had attended. They have hope of improving their condition and having peace.