By Kelsey Wooley
“Little Princes” is good enough to be mistaken for fiction. From the moment you first read the prologue that foretells the main character (who is actually the author of the book) stranded on a snow-covered mountain at night in bitterly cold temperatures, not to mention in a war zone, you’re hooked. There is absolutely no escape from putting this book down. “Little Princes” has all the makings of a great book—adventure, romance, and plenty of heart.
But perhaps the best thing about the “Little Princes” is that it’s all true.
The author of the book, Conor Grennan, unfolds a remarkable recollection of his time in Nepal, when the country was raged by a civil war that left thousands of children missing and labeled “orphaned” after being abducted and trafficked. Grennan, in hopes of beginning a year-long trip around the globe, starts his journey by volunteering at Little Princes Children’s Home orphanage where he find himself dealing with a horde of 18 mischievous, yet completely endearing, children—all rescued victims form of human trafficking.
Touched by the abused history of the children under his care, Grennan makes a vow to return a year later to the kids of Little Princes. This promise, as well as his immense compassion for those children, is what will eventually drive Grennan to risk his life to help reunite these orphans with their families.
These children, and all the other children that Grennan meets during his visits to Nepal, are the heart and soul of the story. The reader will fall in love with each lost child that Grennan encounters, and cheer him along in his incredible, near-impossible, journey to rescue them from the pain of being abused and trafficked, and helping them find their families.
“Little Princes” is a tale like no other. It’s a story that is able to reveal both the darkest, most vile side of human nature as well as our bravest, most compassionate, and most noble. It is a book full of laughter and optimism, love and faith and the remarkable truth of how one person’s determination to take a stand was able to change the world, one child at a time.
