Rio: The Street Kid Stargazer

In the slums of Rio de Janeiro, life is a daily thrill ride of the darkest kind. Thousands of homeless children make horrific choices every day. Sixteen year-old Lucas Rocha is no exception. Recently orphaned, he now watches helplessly as a drug dealer's death squad brutally executes his older brother. Shaken, but still hopeful, Lucas struggles not only to put bread on the table for his twin six year-old sisters, but to figure out how to keep them safe while he earns a living. Should he beg, steal or sell drugs to survive? There is no right in a world filled with wrong. An idealistic street kid stargazer who fervently believes his dwindling family will someday live a better life, Lucas is hell-bent to beat the odds and make things right. This young adult thriller takes the reader into one of the world's poorest and most dangerous neighborhoods to explore why good people sometimes do bad things for a greater good.