A Girl Named Disaster
Nhamo’s mother is dead, and her father is gone. When she learns that she must marry a cruel man with three wives—before her twelfth birthday—she runs away. Alone on the river, in a stolen boat, Nhamo is swept into the uncharted heart of a great lake. There she battles drowning, starvation, and wild animals, and comes to know Africa’s mystical, luminous spirits. Nhamo’s journey will transport readers in to her world, in a story that is poignant, humorous, dramatic, and extraordinary.
Reviews
“A gripping adventure, equally a survival story and a spiritual voyage […] Nhamo is a stunning creation–while she serves as a fictional ambassador from a foreign culture, she is supremely human. An unforgettable work.”
“Nhamo [is] wonderfully resourceful [and] surrounded by an equally lively, colorful cast [...] By removing many of the borders between human and animal, living and dead, Farmer creates a milieu as vivid and credible as readers' own. As rewarding, and as challenging, as THE EAR, THE EYE, AND THE ARM.”
“[H]umorous and heartwrenching, complex and multilayered [...] The fortunate child who reads it will place Nhamo alongside Zia (Island of the Dolphins) and Julie (Julie of the Wolves). An engrossing and memorable saga.”School Library Journal
“A dazzling choice for a parent-child book group, or to give to a reluctant reader, or to enjoy as a solitary pleasure when in need of something absorbing and magical to read.”
Awards & Accolades
Newbery Honor
National Book Award Finalist
ALA: “Notable Book”
ALA: “Best Book for Young Readers”
Horn Book Fanfare Book
Publishers Weekly: “Best Book of the Year”
School Library Journal: “Best Book of the Year”
Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Top Ten
Parent's Choice 1996 Story Book Award
IBBY honor list
Hungry Mind Review Books of Distinction
Bay Area Book Reviewers’ Association Award for Children’s Literature
Commonwealth Club of California Book Silver Medal