One summer day, Luke and his friends decide to play their favorite game of war, using sticks for guns and pine cones for bombs. But Sameer, who is new to their neighborhood, doesn’t want to join in. When the kids learn that Sameer lost his family in a real war, they realize that war is not a game. The gracefulness of their response and the power of friendship are the real stories here. 2005

*Skipping Stones Honor Award

*Named a “Children’s Pick” for the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association

“The strength here is Lyon’s watercolor illustrations in summer greens, golden yellows, and coppery browns that evoke the heat of warm days spent with friends.”
Rebecca Sheridan
School Library Journal