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A review by thomcat
A Girl Named Disaster by Nancy Farmer
4.0
Coming of age story in a well researched setting with a very strong female main character. Africa (Mozambique and Zimbabwe) and the spirits of Shona tribesmen play a strong role in this solid adventure story.
The basic plot is a girl whose parents are both gone, made to labor for her family in a traditional Shona village. When the story of her father killing a man comes out, some other villagers believe the victim's restless spirit curses the village. Their solution is to marry little Nhamo off to the victim's brother, who is described as diseased and ugly. Her grandmother, one of the few characters that is good to her, encourages her to run away to her father's family in Zimbabwe. Of course, a simple few days travel turns into many months adventure when things don't go the way she plans.
Nhamo is a strong character, and the spirits she interacts with help her in the adventure. When anxious or bored, she tells stories - many of them Shona folk tales. This works well, creating many stories within the main tale.
Read this book aloud with my daughter, and my only regret is a decent pronunciation guide. The book contains maps, a list of characters, and a glossary for unfamiliar terms. It concludes with a history of Shona and Mozambique culture and politics, along with a solid bibliography. I concur with my daughter's rating of 4 stars, and enjoyed this few weeks.
The basic plot is a girl whose parents are both gone, made to labor for her family in a traditional Shona village. When the story of her father killing a man comes out, some other villagers believe the victim's restless spirit curses the village. Their solution is to marry little Nhamo off to the victim's brother, who is described as diseased and ugly. Her grandmother, one of the few characters that is good to her, encourages her to run away to her father's family in Zimbabwe. Of course, a simple few days travel turns into many months adventure when things don't go the way she plans.
Nhamo is a strong character, and the spirits she interacts with help her in the adventure. When anxious or bored, she tells stories - many of them Shona folk tales. This works well, creating many stories within the main tale.
Read this book aloud with my daughter, and my only regret is a decent pronunciation guide. The book contains maps, a list of characters, and a glossary for unfamiliar terms. It concludes with a history of Shona and Mozambique culture and politics, along with a solid bibliography. I concur with my daughter's rating of 4 stars, and enjoyed this few weeks.