Fifteen-year-old Roza thinks she's leaving Albania for better things in the UK. But her dad has sold her as a slave. Whatever it takes, she has to break free.

She's told she'll stay with wealthy relatives and get a good education in exchange for light housework.

But when she arrives, Roza realizes this is a lie. Her father has sold her to get out of debt. These people consider her their property. And they treat her as such. They work her hard, beating and starving her, and refusing to let her go out. But she must tell people they are her parents. When Roza runs to the police, her captors show them a forged birth certificate. She is dismissed as attention-seeking and returned to them for punishment.

Before Roza left Albania, her teacher told her about a man she could go to for help if she ever needed it, but she was too excited to pay attention. Now, she can't remember his name or address. He is somewhere in North London, but that's a very big place.

She doesn't think life can get much worse, but when she escapes, she discovers she's wrong.

Every year an estimated 300,000 children worldwide are taken and sold by human traffickers as slaves. But this is one of the first novels to talk about it.

A young adult novel that should appeal to fans of Miriam Halahmy, Anne Cassidy, and Julia Green.

Praise for Keeping Secrets, Sue's previous novel:

A gem of a novel - Gwales

Evokes the uncertainties and anxieties of the teenager's world with insight and perception - Yvonne Coppard, YA Author

Sign up now to get the most out of Books2Read

Discover something great at Books2Read.

Thanks for signing up for Books2Read notifications!