Library Research Guides: 2024 Summer Reading @ the Ed Lib: Read Around the World!: Africa (2024)

Burn My Heart by Beverley Naidoo

ISBN: 9780061432972

Publication Date: 2008-12-23

What does it mean to be loyal? Mathew and Mugo, two boys--one white, one black--share an uneasy friendship in Kenya in the 1950s. They're friends even though Mathew's dad owns the land and everything on it. They're friends despite the difference in their skin color. And they're friends in the face of the growing Mau Mau rebellion, which threatens British settlers with violence as black Kenyans struggle to win back their land and freedom. But suspicions and accusations are escalating, and an act of betrayal could change everything.

The Mzungu Boy by Meja Mwangi

ISBN: 0888996535

Publication Date: 2005-04-07

For Kariuki, life in a small village in Kenya is one great adventure. One day Kariuki meets Nigel, a boy from England who has come to visit his grandfather, the fearsome Bwana Ruin, who owns the farm where the villagers work. The villagers call Nigel the mzungu boy (westerner), and view him with suspicion and fear; but not Kariuki.

Out of Bounds by Beverley Naidoo

ISBN: 0060507993

Publication Date: 2003-01-21

For almost fifty years apartheid forced the young people of South Africa to live apart as Blacks, Whites, Indians, and "Coloreds." This unique and dramatic collection of stories -- by native South African and Carnegie Medalist Beverley Naidoo -- is about young people's choices in a beautiful country made ugly by injustice.

The Red Pencil by Andrea Davis Pinkney; Shane W. Evans (Illustrator)

ISBN: 9780316247801

Publication Date: 2014-09-16

Finally, Amira is twelve. Old enough to wear a toob, old enough for new responsibilities. And maybe old enough to go to school in Nyala-- Amira's one true dream. But life in her peaceful Sudanese village is shattered when the Janjaweed arrive. The terrifying attackers ravage the town and unleash unspeakable horrors. After she loses nearly everything, Amira needs to dig deep within herself to find the strength to make the long journey-- on foot-- to safety at a refugee camp. Her days are tough at the camp, until the gift of a simple red pencil opens her mind-- and all kinds of possibilities.

Soldier Boy by Keely Hutton

ISBN: 9780374305635

Publication Date: 2017-06-13

An unforgettable novel based on the life of Ricky Richard Anywar, who at age fourteen was forced to fight as a soldier in the guerrilla army of notorious Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony.

The World Beneath by Janice Warman

ISBN: 9780763678562

Publication Date: 2016-05-24

South Africa, 1976. Joshua lives with his mother in the maid's room, in the backyard of their wealthy white employers' house in the city by the sea. He doesn't quite understand the events going on around him. But when he rescues a stranger and riots begin to sweep the country, Joshua has to face the world beneath--the world deep inside him--to make heartbreaking choices that will change his life forever.

A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park

ISBN: 9780547251271

Publication Date: 2010-11-15

A Long Walk to Water begins as two stories, told in alternating sections, about two eleven-year-olds in Sudan, a girl in 2008 and a boy in 1985. The girl, Nya, is fetching water from a pond that is two hours' walk from her home: she makes two trips to the pond every day. The boy, Salva, becomes one of the "lost boys" of Sudan, refugees who cover the African continent on foot as they search for their families and for a safe place to stay. Enduring every hardship, Salva is a survivor, and his story goes on to intersect with Nya's in an astonishing and moving way.

The Bitter Side of Sweet by Tara Sullivan

ISBN: 9780399173073

Publication Date: 2016-02-23

Amadou counts the things that matter. For two years what has mattered are the number of cacao pods he and his brother, Seydou, can chop down in a day. The higher the number the safer they are because the bosses won't beat them. The higher the number the closer they are to paying off their debt and returning home. The problem is Amadou doesn't know how much he and Seydou owe, and the bosses won't tell him. Tricked into forced labor on a plantation in the Ivory Coast, with no hope of escape, all they can do is try their best to stay alive--until Khadija comes into their lives. She fights bravely every day, attempting escape again and again. But finally, the bosses break her, and what happens next to the brother he has always tried to protect almost breaks Amadou. The old impulse to run is suddenly awakened.

A Girl Named Disaster by Nancy Farmer

ISBN: 0531088898

Publication Date: 1996-10-01

Nhamo is a Shona girl living in a traditional village in Mozambique in 1981. When her family tries to force her into a marriage with a cruel man, she flees. What was supposed to have been a short boat trip across the border into Zimbabwe, where she hoped to find her father, turns into an adventure filled with challenges and danger that lasts a year.

Threatened by Eliot Schrefer

ISBN: 9780545551434

Publication Date: 2014-02-25

When he was a boy, Luc's mother would warn him about the "mock men" living in the trees by their home -- chimpanzees whose cries would fill the night. Luc is older now, his mother gone. He lives in a house of mistreated orphans, barely getting by. Then a man calling himself Prof comes to town with a mysterious mission. He offers Luc a job. Together, Luc and Prof head into the rough, dangerous jungle in order to study the elusive chimpanzees. There, Luc finally finds a new family -- and must act when that family comes under attack.

Now Is the Time for Running by Michael Williams

ISBN: 9780316077903

Publication Date: 2011-07-05

Just down the road from their families, Deo and his friends play soccer in the dusty fields of Zimbabwe, cheered on by Deo's older brother, Innocent. It is a day like any other ..until the soldiers arrive and Deo and Innocent are forced to run for their lives, fleeing the wreckage of their village for the distant promise of safe haven. Along the way, they face the prejudice and poverty that await refugees everywhere, and must rely on the kindness of people they meet to make it through.

Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani; Viviana Mazza

ISBN: 9780062696724

Publication Date: 2018-09-04

A new pair of shoes, a university degree, a husband--these are the things that a girl dreams of in a Nigerian village. And with a government scholarship right around the corner, everyone can see that these dreams aren't too far out of reach. But the girl's dreams turn to nightmares when her village is attacked by Boko Haram, in the middle of the night. Kidnapped, she is taken with other girls and women into the forest where she is forced to follow her captors' radical beliefs and watch as her best friend slowly accepts everything she's been told. Still, the girl defends her existence. As impossible as escape may seem, her life--her future--is hers to fight for.

Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton

ISBN: 9780743262170

Publication Date: 2003-11-01

Cry, the Beloved Country, is the deeply moving story of the Zulu pastor Stephen Kumalo and his son, Absalom, set against the background of a land and a people riven by racial injustice.

City of Saints and Thieves by Natalie C. Anderson

ISBN: 9780399547584

Publication Date: 2017-01-24

After fleeing the Congo as refugees, Tina and her mother arrived in Kenya looking for the chance to build a new life. Her mother found work as a maid for Roland Greyhill, one of the city's most respected business leaders. But Tina soon learns that the Greyhill fortune was made from a life of corruption and crime. So when her mother is found shot to death in Mr. Greyhill's personal study, she knows exactly who's behind it. Tina spends the next four years surviving on the streets alone, working as a master thief for the Goondas, Sangui City's local gang. It's a job for the Goondas that finally brings Tina back to the Greyhill estate, giving her the chance for vengeance she's been waiting for. Finally uncovering the incredible truth about who killed her mother--and why--keeps her holding on.

Sugar Town Queens by Malla Nunn

ISBN: 9780525515609

Publication Date: 2021-08-03

When Amandla wakes up on her fifteenth birthday, she knows it's going to be one of her mother's difficult days. Her mother has had another vision. This one involves Amandla wearing a bedsheet loosely stitched as a dress. An outfit, her mother says, is certain to bring Amandla's father back home. But in truth, Amandla's father has long been gone and even her mother's memory of him is hazy. Many of her mother's memories from before Amandla was born are hazy. It's just one of the many reasons people in Sugar Town give them strange looks--that and the fact her mother is white and Amandla is Black. When Amandla finds a mysterious address in the bottom of her mother's handbag along with a large amount of cash, she decides it's finally time to get answers about her mother's life. With her best friends at her side, Amandla is ready to take on family secrets and the devil himself.

Broken Memory by Élisabeth Combres; Shelley Tanaka (Translator); Élisabeth Combres

ISBN: 9780888998927

Publication Date: 2009-10-01

Hiding behind a chair, five-year-old Emma can't see her mother being murdered, but she hears everything. When the assassins leave, the terrified girl stumbles away from the scene, motivated only by the memory of her mother's last words: "You must not die, Emma!" Emma is taken in by an old Hutu woman who risks her own life to hide the child. A quiet bond grows between the two, but long after the war ends, Emma is still haunted by nightmares. When the country establishes gacaca courts to allow victims to face their tormentors, Emma is uneasy and afraid. But Emma finds the courage to begin the long journey to healing.

Out of Bounds by Beverley Naidoo

ISBN: 0060507993

Publication Date: 2003-01-21

This collection of stories is about young people's choices in a beautiful country made ugly by injustice. Each story is set in a different decade during the last half of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first, and features fictional characters caught up in very real events.

Diamond Boy by Michael Williams

ISBN: 9780316320696

Publication Date: 2014-12-02

Set against the backdrop of Zimbabwe's brutal recent history, Diamond Boy is the story of a young man who succumbs to greed but finds his way out through a transformative journey to South Africa in search of his missing sister, in search of freedom, and in search of himself.

Golden Boy by Tara Sullivan

ISBN: 9780399161124

Publication Date: 2013-06-27

Thirteen-year-old Habo has always been different--light eyes, yellow hair and white skin. His father, unable to accept Habo, abandons the family; his mother can scarcely look at him. His brothers are cruel and the other children never invite him to play. Only his sister Asu loves him well. But even Asu can't take the sting away when the family is forced from their small Tanzanian village, and Habo knows he is to blame. Seeking refuge in Mwanza, Habo and his family journey across the Serengeti. His aunt is glad to open her home until she sees Habo, and then she is only afraid. Suddenly, Habo has a new word for himself: Albino. But they hunt Albinos in Mwanza because Albino body parts are thought to bring good luck. To survive, Habo must not only run, but find a way to love and accept himself.

Black Dove White Raven by Elizabeth Wein

ISBN: 9781423183105

Publication Date: 2015-03-31

Emilia and Teo's lives changed in a terrifying instant when a bird strike brought down the plane their stunt pilot mothers were flying. Teo's mother died immediately, but Em's survived, determined to raise Teo according to his late mother's wishes-in a place where he won't be discriminated against because of the color of his skin. But in 1930s America, a white woman raising a black adoptive son alongside a white daughter is too often seen as a threat. Seeking a home where her children won't be held back by ethnicity or gender, Rhoda brings Em and Teo to Ethiopia, and all three fall in love with the beautiful, peaceful country. But that peace is shattered by the threat of war with Italy, and teenage Em and Teo are drawn into the conflict.

The Shadows of Ghadames by Joelle Stolz

ISBN: 0385731043

Publication Date: 2004-10-12

In the Libyan city of Ghadames, Malika watches her merchant father depart on one of his caravan expeditions. She too yearns to travel to distant cities, and longs to learn to read like her younger brother. But nearly 12 years old, and soon to be of marriageable age, Malika knows that - like all Muslim women - she must be content with a more secluded, more limited life. Then one night a stranger enters her home . . . someone who disrupts the traditional order of things and who affects Malika in unexpected ways.

A Girl Called Problem by Katie Quirk

ISBN: 9780802854049

Publication Date: 2013-04-18

Thirteen-year-old Shida, whose name means "problem" in Swahili, certainly has a lot of problems in her life -- her father is dead, her depressed mother is rumored to be a witch, and everyone in her rural Tanzanian village expects her to marry rather than pursue her dream of becoming a healer. So when the village's elders make a controversial decision to move their people to a nearby village, Shida welcomes the change. Surely the opportunity to go to school and learn from a nurse can only mean good things. However, after a series of puzzling misfortunes plague the new village, Shida must prove to her people that moving was the right decision, and that they can have a better life in their new home.

Nzingha by Patricia C. McKissack

ISBN: 0439112109

Publication Date: 2000-09-01

Patricia C. McKissack presents the diary of thirteen-year-old Nzingha, a sixteenth-century West African princess who loves to hunt and hopes to lead her kingdom one day against the invasion of the Portuguese slave traders.

The World Beneath by Janice Warman

ISBN: 9780763678562

Publication Date: 2016-05-24

South Africa, 1976. Joshua lives with his mother in the maid's room, in the backyard of their wealthy white employers' house in the city by the sea. He doesn't quite understand the events going on around him. But when he rescues a stranger and riots begin to sweep the country, Joshua has to face the world beneath--the world deep inside him--to make heartbreaking choices that will change his life forever.

Hope Is Our Only Wing by Rutendo Tavengerwei

ISBN: 9781641290722

Publication Date: 2019-09-10

For fifteen-year-old Shamiso, hope is nothing but a leap into darkness. Grief-stricken and confused after her father's mysterious death in a car crash, Shamiso moves with her mother from England to Zimbabwe in order to pick up the pieces--returning to an extended family and a world she hardly remembers. For Tanyaradzwa, a classmate whose life has been turned upside down by a cancer diagnosis, hope is the only reason to keep fighting. As an unexpected friendship blossoms between them and the two girls navigate the increasingly uncertain political situation in Zimbabwe, Tanyaradzwa helps Shamiso confront her fear of loss.

Lost Girl Found by Leah Bassoff; Laura DeLuca

ISBN: 9781554984169

Publication Date: 2014-03-01

For Poni, life in her small village in southern Sudan is simple and complicated at the same time. Stay in school. Beat up any boy who tries to show attention. Watch out for the dangers in the river. But then the war comes, there is only one thing for Poni to do. Run. She must then make a long, dusty trek across the east African countryside and finds her way to the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, where she hopes to be reunited with her family. And if she is lucky, she will one day be able to convince the authorities that she is worthy to go to the land of opportunity. But the misery in Kakuma is almost overwhelming, and sooner than Poni could have imagined, she is on the run again. With single-minded determination, Poni survives hell and back, but she cannot escape the war's devastating psychological effects.

Chain of Fire by Beverley Naidoo; Eric Velasquez (Illustrator)

ISBN: 0397324278

Publication Date: 1990-04-01

When the villagers of Bophelong are forced to leave their houses and resettle in a barren "homeland," thirteen-year-old Naledi and her younger brother join in a school demonstration and learn that the South African government treats even children who dissent with brutality.

Mosquitoes Don't Bite Me by Pendred Noyce

ISBN: 9781943431304

Publication Date: 2017-11-01

Mosquitoes don't bite Nala Simiyu. It's part of who she is, like being a half-Kenyan seventh-grader whose mother is in a wheelchair. But when a schoolmate's father--who happens to head up a large drug company--learns of Nala's special power, the excitement begins. After helping out with mosquito research, Nala has the chance to travel to Kenya to investigate mosquitoes' reactions to her father's family. All goes well until a man heartbroken by his daughter's death from malaria kidnaps Nala.

AK by Peter Dickinson

ISBN: 0385306083

Publication Date: 1992-05-01

When a military coup occurs in the constantly war-torn African country of Nagala, teenage Paul is forced to flee into the open countryside to avoid enemy soldiers who seek his life.

Playing a Dangerous Game by Patrick Ochieng

ISBN: 9781324019138

Publication Date: 2021-08-17

Lumush and his friends live with their families in Railway Estate, spending their free time in the countryside or in the yards behind the estate, playing a game of chance called pata potea next to the wreck of an old car. When the boys' attention begins to wander farther, they discover a deserted house believed to be haunted. As they explore the house, they learn that it's not ghosts they have to fear but the malevolent Mwachuma. By day he works in his junkyard, but by night he and his accomplices steal coffee from the railway yard and smuggle it into the "ghost house." As the young boys are drawn into this criminal underworld, they face a mounting danger that threatens both themselves and their families.

Somehow Tenderness Survives by Hazel Rochman (Editor)

ISBN: 0060250232

Publication Date: 1988-09-01

A collection of ten short stories and autobiographical accounts by authors of various races expose the conditions of racism in South Africa.

This Thing Called the Future by J. L. Powers

ISBN: 9781933693958

Publication Date: 2011-04-12

Khosi lives with her grandmother Gogo, her sister Zi, and her mother in a matchbox house on the outskirts of Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. In that shantytown, it seems like somebody is dying all the time. Her Gogo goes to a traditional healer when there is trouble, but her mother, who is wasting away before their eyes, refuses even to go to the doctor. She is afraid and Khosi doesn't know what it is that makes the blood come up from her choking lungs. Can Khosi take her to the doctor? Gogo asks. No, says Mama, Khosi must stay in school. Only education will save Khosi and Zi from the poverty and ignorance of the old Zulu ways. But a witch's curse, her mother's wasting sorrow, and a neighbor's accusations send her and Gogo scrambling off to the sangoma's hut in search of a healing potion.

No Condition Is Permanent by Cristina Kessler

ISBN: 0399234861

Publication Date: 2000-01-10

When Jodie's mother decides they are moving to Sierre Leone, Jodie feels as if her world is falling apart. But she knows her worries are over as soon as she lays eyes on Khadi, a village girl. From the first moment, the two girls are inseparable--carrying water, collecting firewood, and working in the rice fields together. Everything seems perfect to Jodie until the day the entire village breaks into a wild dance. Suddenly strange things start to happen--Khadi disappears daily, and even Jodie's mother seems nervous. "Secret Society, Jodie. Stay away from it," she warns her. But Jodie wonders what this Society is all about. Surely it can't hurt anyone if she just checks it out. Or can it?

Saba by Jane Kurtz; Jean-Paul Tibbles (Illustrator)

ISBN: 1584857471

Publication Date: 2003-09-01

Raised by their grandparents in a remote area of Ethiopia, Saba and her brother are kidnapped and brought to Gondar, home of the emperor and his court. Saba learns things about her family and herself that turn her whole world upside down.

Crossing the Stream by Elizabeth Irene-Baitie

ISBN: 9781324017097

Publication Date: 2021-06-08

Ato hasn't visited his grandmother's house since he was seven. He's heard the rumors that she's a witch, and his mother has told him he must never sit on the old couch on her porch. Now here he is, on that exact couch wondering if the rumors are true. What's more, there's a freshly dug hole in her yard that Ato suspects may be a grave meant for him. Meanwhile at school, Ato and his friends have entered a competition to win entry to Nnoma, the island bird sanctuary that Ato's father helped create. But something is poisoning the community garden where their project is housed, and Ato sets out to track down the culprit. In doing so, he brings his estranged mother and grandmother back together, and begins healing the wounds left on the family by his father's death years before.

The Baboon King by Anton Quintana; John Nieuwenhuizen (Translator)

ISBN: 0802787118

Publication Date: 2000-01-01

Morengaru, a strong young hunter, has been cast out by both his mother's people, the Kikuyu, and his father's people, the Masai. Every day he misses human companionship, and soon he feels as though he's becoming more like the animals around him. When Morengaru has the chance to belong again, he seizes the opportunity. Then he faces the greatest challenge of his life: living among the baboons, still clinging to his humanity, hoping someday to return to his people.