Winner, School Library Journal Best Book of 2005

Finalist, 2006 Information Book Award

"This powerful book succeeds remarkably well in its goal of putting a face on unimaginably large numbers, such as the estimated 20 million children who will have been orphaned by AIDS by 2010."
-- Quill & Quire

"The simply written first-person vignettes tell of poverty, life on the streets, loss of parents and dreams, personal infection with HIV, fears and hopes, with sepia-toned photographs of the speakers putting actual faces on an overwhelming tragedy. Despite their difficult, even desperate circumstances, the children speak with dignity, courage, and hope of their daily lives and future plans, several wanting to help effect true change in the world. Sidebars feature facts about AIDS, making this a valuable resource for health and social studies classes. . . This is a call-to-action book which can spur research into practical ways in which U.S. students can make a difference in Africa's AIDS crisis."
-- School Library Journal

"Every entry is laden with insight, potent with devastating unselfconsciousness. . .This collection should be part of every child's adolescence, and to my mind, it's a hands-down winner of the Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children's Non-Fiction."
-- Toronto Star

"Heart-wrenching, resilient and inspiring young voices put faces to the African AIDS pandemic."
-- Today's Parent

"Our Stories, Our Songs: African Children Talk About AIDS, by Deborah Ellis, is a collection of first-person accounts by young people, ages seven to 17, describing the effect HIV/AIDS has had on their schools, families, lives and futures. This could be a sad or ugly book, but it is not. It is about the power of the human spirit to endure and hope for a better tomorrow."
-- The Review (Niagara Falls)