When David Hartness graduated from Vashon High School in 2001, he worked for three months as a volunteer teaching English in a small rural village in Kenya. Now, nine years later and based on seven years of experience living in Africa, Hartness has published a novel set in Mozambique called “Amani’s River.” Hartness will read from his new book at 5 p.m. Friday at Vashon Bookshop.

“Amani’s River” tells the story of a 10-year-old American boy whose parents return to their native Mozambique to live on the banks of a beautiful river. The family settles in, but soon violence breaks out. The boy, Aderito, is abducted by rebels and forced to become a trained killer.

“I hope the book is an eye-opener and people will keep in mind there are still 250,000 children serving as child soldiers,” Hartness said.

The Beachcomber featured Hartness in the article “Vashon native writes novel about child soldiers,” which was published in February. Read the story online at vashonbeachcomber.com.