‘Save those we keep in cages.’

Deborah Ellis’ Diego, Run! is a brilliant book about young people who live in prisons and try to make money in the poorest countries. This awesome book is filled with action, adventure and thrills!

      The novel Diego, Run! is about a young boy named Diego who grows up with his mother and sister in San Sebastian women’s prison in Bolivia. His father lives in San Sebastian male prison. His parents were accused of smuggling the drug cocaine on the bus they were traveling on where someone had planted a bag of it under their seat. Diego now lives a hard life in the prison, having to travel to school, having a job of a taxi, running errands for the prisoners, but not making much money, until his friend Mando finds something to earn them more money, more than they could ever imagine.

      While Mando was staying in the male prison he overheard some prisoners saying some things about getting drugs to the prison and getting lots of money. Mando joined in on the conversation and told Diego all about it. Diego didn’t agree with the idea but in the end he decided to join in. Diego left the prison with Mando and they met up with the dealers and headed off for the jungle.

      After finding all of the cocaine in the jungle, Diego and Mando were ready to head back to Bolivia with all of their money, but the dealers made them stay and work. If they couldn’t work any more they would be killed.

       I loved this brilliant book by Deborah Ellis, filled with action packed adventure. I rate this novel 4 stars out of 5. I would recommend this book to mainly male teenagers around the age of 13 to 16 as it relates to some people of this age, or anyone who are looking for an action-packed adventure story.

By Max, Year 8.

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     Diego isn’t running away from anything but his own bad decisions. Diego is a thirteen-year-old boy living in prison cells with his family in Cochabamba, Bolivia. His parents are separated and locked up but he and his sister are free to come and go in and out of the cells. Diego goes to school and earns money by doing other kids’ homework and working outside of school as a ‘taxi’ delivering messages and doing tasks for other prisoners. But these little jobs are still not enough money to support his family. His prison friend Mando introduces him to bad things and says it will help them earn money quicker and easier. Diego does not understand what he has got himself into and before long he and Mando end up stomping coca leaves in cocaine pits in the jungle working for two men. Diego has to risk everything if he wants to get out of this big, ugly mess and if he wants to ever see his family again.

      This is a very interesting story by Deborah Ellis which made me reflect and think about how some children in other poor countries have to go and earn money just to survive. I would recommend this book for older students and adults only because the book would not make sense to someone of a young age and the way the author has written the book is in a very mature way. I would rate this book a 3 out of 5 because it’s a very interesting book to read and makes you want to keep on reading but I only rated it a 3 because I wouldn’t have an interest in this book just for a free read, but I’d definitely recommend it for older teenagers/adults.  

Chloe, Year 8