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A review by pwbalto
The Kaya Girl by Mamle Wolo
5.0
Privilege isn't just for Americans, as ethnicity, money, colorism all play their parts in class inequity in Ghana. Do you believe in friends-at-first-sight? I do, and this book captures that friendship precisely, with so much affection that you have to believe the author has experienced it herself. So charming, so full of pungent detail and swiftly drawn memorable characters. I love that it was published - and popular! - in Ghana before being published in the US. My spouse lived in Zimbabwe for a time and I handed The Kaya Girl to him for the market descriptions and he LOVED it.
It's kind of ironic that there is an American Girl named Kaya, because this has a bit of that realistic adventure feeling of the American Girl books - except Faiza and Abena are Ghanaian girls! Perfect for kids who love reading about friendships. I am hoping West African parents (some of whom are very strict about fiction, preferring that their kids read educational books only) will also embrace this lovely book.
Will be a great book for the classroom, especially backed up with video content about real-life kayayei (market porters) in Ghana - the economic and political factors that have led to them leaving school, migrating to Accra, working at such a young age.
Honestly, I can't say enough about this book. It hits on so many levels, and not for nothing would be the kind of book I cherished as a kid for plunging me heart and soul into someone else's world.
It's kind of ironic that there is an American Girl named Kaya, because this has a bit of that realistic adventure feeling of the American Girl books - except Faiza and Abena are Ghanaian girls! Perfect for kids who love reading about friendships. I am hoping West African parents (some of whom are very strict about fiction, preferring that their kids read educational books only) will also embrace this lovely book.
Will be a great book for the classroom, especially backed up with video content about real-life kayayei (market porters) in Ghana - the economic and political factors that have led to them leaving school, migrating to Accra, working at such a young age.
Honestly, I can't say enough about this book. It hits on so many levels, and not for nothing would be the kind of book I cherished as a kid for plunging me heart and soul into someone else's world.