Never Fall Down (Patricia McCormick)

Summary: When soldiers arrive in his hometown, Arn is just a normal little boy.  But after the soldiers march the entire population into the countryside, his life is changed forever.

Arn is separated from his family and assigned to a labor camp: working in the rice paddies under a blazing sun, he sees the other children dying before his eyes.  One day, the soldiers ask if any of the kids can play an instrument.  Arn's never played a note in his life, but he volunteers.

This decision will save his life, but it will pull him into the very center of what we know today as the Killing Fields.  And just as the country is about to be liberated, Arn is handed a gun and forced to become a soldier.  (from amazon.com)

Where can I find it?: Boston Public Library: Copley, Fields Corner, Honan-Allston, and Mattapan branches, or as an ebook at https://bpl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S981C12511706 

Tags: Cambodia; Party of Democratic Kampuchea; Chorn-Pond, Arn; Soldiers; Genocide; Child soldiers; Young adult fiction; American fiction