Fourteen-year-old Kimathi has a comfortable life in the suburbs of western Kenya—until a contentious election explodes into violence. His father is killed, his house is destroyed, and he and his mother and sister must flee. They find themselves in a camp for internally displaced persons, who've been driven from their homes but haven't left their country.Kim struggles to adapt to his new reality: living in a tent, facing prejudice at the local school, and struggling to get basic supplies. His family even has to buy water by the jug, paying high prices controlled by a ruthless gang of water sellers.Gradually, Kim makes friends at the camp and starts to rebuild his life. Together, he and the other kids hatch a plan to get the camp a reliable water supply―along with some hope.

This whip-smart coming-of-age novel sees a group of boys embark on a madcap, high-stakes adventure of survival and friendship.Lumush and his three friends live with their families in Railway Estate, spending their free time in the countryside or in the yards behind the estate, playing a game of chance called pata potea next to the wreck of an old car. When the boys' attention begins to wander farther, they discover a deserted house believed to be haunted. As they explore the house, they learn that it's not ghosts they have to fear but the malevolent Mwachuma. By day he works in his junkyard, but by night he and his accomplices steal coffee from the railway yard and smuggle it into the "ghost house." As the young boys are drawn into this criminal underworld, they face a mounting danger that threatens both themselves and their families.With rich storytelling and gripping adventure, Playing a Dangerous Game is a brilliant debut set in contemporary...