Book Bundle
Focus on Young Adult Literature
A Girl Called Problem
by Katie Quirk, 2013
Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
- Appropriate grade level: 6-8
- Independent reading level: 6.0
- Rating:
- Genre: Historical fiction
A Girl Called Problem by Katie Quirk is a story about a young girl's bravery and perseverance. This story takes place in Tanzania. Throughout the story, an entire village is moving to another location in order to create a ujamaa village. President Nyerere had just been elected in 1964, and it was his dream that everyone move to a village where they all would share farm work, a school, and a medical clinic. Ujamaa means familyhood in Swahili.
The book begins with the Litongo village leaders' controversial decision concerning the move to the new village. Shida, the main character, is a 13-year-old girl who has had a rough life. Her name literally means problem in Swahili. Her father died when she was born, and her mother is a depressed woman. Shida is excited for the move and the change she anticipates it will bring, although there are some interesting things happening to her people. The elders blame the ancestors for bringing on a curse because they moved. Their cows and clothes go missing, their crops fail, and the girls are being abused for going to school.
This book is a powerful story showing the culture of the African people. Girls like Shida are most often forgotten about in Africa. This book shows just how valuable and hard-working girls are to their families, villages, and country. The author wrote this book to educate readers about the way of life for the people of Tanzania. She spent some time there teaching writing and fell in love with the people. Anyone who reads this story will learn something about themselves and how to live life everyday as if it were a gift.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Katie Quirk told the story of many girls. This was especially meaningful to me because I have had the opportunity to meet some girls like Shida. Although I have not been to Tanzania, I have spent some time in West Africa, and the stories of the women there are shocking. There are so many brave girls, young and old, and their lives and attitudes are inspiring. I am so glad there is a book to show the world the strength and perseverance of these often discounted people. While reading, I found myself thinking back to when I was 13 years old and how different my life was. Shida's story is not all sunshine and roses. There are some hard things to read in this book, but it was written so well that I could hardly put it down.
Three Times Lucky
by Sheila Turnage, 2012
NY: Penguin Group.
- Appropriate grade level: 5-8
- Independent reading level: 3.2
- Rating:
- Genre: Fiction/mystery
Earning a Newbery Honor, an Edgar Award Finalist, and E.B.White Read-Aloud Honor is no surprise as the author charms the reader from page one with Miss Moses LoBeau.
Mo washed into Tupelo Landing, North Carolina, with another stranger, the Colonel. She and the Colonel live at the town’s café with Miss Lana where the themes and food change on a whim, most of the town pops in, and Mo and her friend Dale are sometimes in charge.
Reviewed by Sarah Williams, a senior elementary education/middle school mathematics major from West Plains, MO
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