Genevieve, Grade 5

Chugach Elementary School

A Girl Named Disaster, By Nancy Farmer

Nhamo is an African girl living in Mozambique. Her father has left her and her mother is dead. She is horrified when she learns she must marry a cruel man before her twelfth birthday. She steals a boat and heads down a mighty river in hope of finding her long-lost father supposedly living in Zimbabwe. Set off with her as she encounters wild animals, starvation, and uses her wits to cross land mines.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes adventure. It was interesting reading about a place and culture so different from my own. For ages 9+.