Drone Child is about family and love in a violent, chaotic society, and the terror you feel when khaki-clad thugs imperil your dearest ones. Kidnapped for his brilliance, a 15-year-old tech genius must fly deadly drones and fight as a sea-going pirate to keep his parents alive.

Can he escape and also free his twin sister in time from the clutches of a major sex-trafficker?

Earlier he worked as a self-taught Internet expert in the mega-city of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, while his songbird sister aspired to be a rumba star. But murderous gun-worshippers chloroformed him and whisked him away. Now he must fight for the wrong side.

Performed by the award-winning Dion Graham, the story is told as Lemba Adula's war memoir looking back 25 years earlier in the 2020s.

Junior Boweya and Jean Felix Mwema Ngandu critiqued and fact-checked the book.

Recording of March 2022 version. Mature young adults and older. No obscenity or explicit sex.

PRAISE FOR DRONE CHILD

"A brainy, irresistible hero braves captivity to protect his family in this riveting tale." - Kirkus Reviews

"Share this action-packed, sensitively rendered audio with fans of Ishmael Beah’s A Long Way Gone and Emmanuel Jal’s War Child.” - Library Journal

"Intriguing storyline. The writing is rich and evocative... A hefty tapestry interwoven with the possibilities for change." - African American Literature Book Club.

“A tense narrative in which scenes of degradation and violence are effective without being overly graphic... A compelling story... Interesting choice for book clubs.” - BlueInk Review in ALA's Booklist

"The barbarities of the conflict in Ukraine make Drone Child all the timelier." - The Midwest Book Review

"...should be lauded for the frank conversations it has the power to open for younger readers.” - Readers’ Favorite.

Dion Graham

Voice