Diego, Run! by Deborah Ellis

Diego’s parents were wrongly convicted of drug smuggling and he lives in a women’s prison in Bolivia with his mother and baby sister. Diego himself is not a prisoner so he is free to come and go. He uses this freedom to become a ‘taxi’, running errands and selling produce in the city for the prisoners

His friend Mando, another prison child, comes up with a get rich quick scheme, convincing Diego that they can make easier money by going off to work for two men for just two weeks. Despite his misgivings Diego follows Mando, and the two boys find themselves trapped stomping coca leaves in cocaine pits in the jungle.

Although this book is a work of fiction it rings true as it set in a realistic context and deals with issues of corruption, the treatment of young people and the cocaine trade in Bolivia. It is an easy book to read, quick paced with a riveting plot. Diego is a likeable character with strong principles which guide him through some very challenging and at times harrowing experiences.