Ebook200 pages2 hours
A Girl Called Problem
By Katie Quirk
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
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About this ebook
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.
For author pictures of Tanzania, a video depicting the life of a modern Tanzanian girl, discussion questions for each chapter of the book, and suggestions for further reading, please go to katie-quirk.com and follow the links for A Girl Called Problem.
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.
For author pictures of Tanzania, a video depicting the life of a modern Tanzanian girl, discussion questions for each chapter of the book, and suggestions for further reading, please go to katie-quirk.com and follow the links for A Girl Called Problem.
Author
Katie Quirk
Katie Quirk (katie- quirk.com) wrote the middle-grade novel A Girl Called Problem after living and teaching in Tanzania. She currently lives in Maine and is working on a book about raising her son in India.
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Reviews for A Girl Called Problem
Rating: 4.000000060606061 out of 5 stars
4/5
33 ratings7 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A great book for younger readers. I'm glad I took a class on African culture recently so I was able to understand a bit of what was going on. The plot was good and I liked the idea of the struggle these girls had to go through to be able to go to school in a new village that didn't encourage education for females. Story shows how unreliable superstition can be and added a bit of mystery. I liked the character of the older woman accused of being a witch.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In 1967 Tanzania, when President Nyerere urges his people to work together as one extended family, the people of Litongo move to a new village which, to some, seems cursed, but where thirteen-year-old Shida, a healer, and her female cousins are allowed to attend school. Includes glossary and author's note.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Set during Tanzanian leader, President Nyerere's era, a thirteen-year-old girl named Shida is the main character in this coming-of-age novel. A wide range of topics are covered within this story-line: trust, feminism, equality, perseverance, acceptance, and diversity. Shida's village is asked to relocate as their country's president is determined to bring patriotism and camaraderie throughout the country. After Shida's village consolidates with a neighboring village, strange events begin to occur and tragedy strikes. Rumors and theories start swirling about what or who could be causing, what feels like, a cursed community. This engaging story keeps you guessing until the end what the motive of such sabotage would be.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shida is a thirteen-year-old girl in a Tanzanian village in 1967. President Nyerere has recommended that the entire village move to incorporate with another and that they work together to provide food, education, and health care. Shida's life has been difficult so far, and a move isn't likely to fix that, although it may provide her with new opportunities. Readers will cheer Shida's successes and struggle with her as she solves the mysteries of the curses on her and her neighbors.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5When I first saw the title of the book I thought that it would be very much like the book "A Girl Named Disaster". I was right in that it is a coming of age story for a young girl from Africa, but I was pleasantly surprised by its differences. A girl Called Problem is a great book for young readers. It has great imagery and language and tells the story of a girl (Shida) who is struggling to find out her place in the world. Society is telling her that she can not go to school or become a nurse or healer and that she should instead focus on marriage because she is a girl, but her heart is telling her that she can. This book has adventure a little mystery and a great example of perseverance and determination. I would recommend this book for any middle school classroom. It even has a glossary to help with the incorporated swahili terms (which make the book that much more interesting).
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A thirteen-year-old comes of age in a rural village in a newly independent Tanzania in the early 1960s.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5So far so good...i hope its not a joke or ill leave...thnk you
Book preview
A Girl Called Problem - Katie Quirk
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