Rats to the Rescue: The Unlikely Heroes Making Cambodia Safe

Heroes come in all shapes, sizes, and species



Growing up in Cambodia, Malen knew that dangers from a long-ago war lay hidden underground. As she got older, she learned how to use a metal detector to find and safely dispose of land mines. These buried explosives had forced her and many others to live, farm, and play in fear.



Five thousand miles away, in Tanzania, Magawa was also learning how to find land mines. But he didn't need a metal detector--he had his nose. Magawa was a rat, and his smelling superpower and light weight helped him safely sniff out dangerous explosives.



After completing his training, Magawa joined Malen in Cambodia, and together they cleared more than a hundred land mines from fields all across the country. A fascinating true story with a hopeful ending and rich back matter from Scott Riley, author of The Floating Field, with Sambat Meas, a Cambodian deminer, and Cambodian American illustrator Huy Voun Lee.