Papa is leaving the family to fight with the underground in the war in Bosnia. Mama, eight-year-old Viktor and his little sister, Marina, are left at home to listen to the sounds of war in the distance. Soon, it's too dangerous to stay and they will have to leave. Viktor has been taking care of two gold fish that a refugee left with them as they escaped the war. The refugee wisely tells Viktor that even fish value two more days of staying alive. Marina named the fish Gleam and Glow. As they trudge beside the other refugees, Viktor worries about what lies ahead, and what he’s left behind--his room, his books, the fish Marina loves so much. Even worse, his papa is off fighting with the Liberation Army and doesn’t know they’ve left home. How will Papa ever find them now?
Inspired by real events, master storyteller Eve Bunting recounts the harrowing yet hopeful story of a family, a war--and a dazzling discovery.
Used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
