The Cheetah and the Lion

Twelve-year-old Pino is the continual target of rival street gangs. Along with his Gramma, Pino lives in constant fear. Everyday he plays a dangerous game of cat and mouse with the gangs that rule the streets. But one day Pino meets a mysterious guardian named "Zee," who shows Pino a secret place where he sees many wonderful things. When Gramma dies of mysterious causes, Pino discovers his father at her funeral. Together at last, they team up to take on the gangs. Pino bravely confronts not only his enemies but those of his classmates. First he saves his friend Anna from a school yard bully and then from her father, a zealot bent on killing his daughter. The Cheetah and the Lion is a story about a boy who defeats his worst fears when he realizes that even as a child you are never alone.