A Girl Named Disaster

( 56 )
Pick Up In Store

Pick Up in Store

Reserve and pick up in 60 minutes at your local store

Paperback (Reprint)
$6.99
BN.com price
Marketplace (New and Used)
from
$1.93
$6.99 List Price (Save 72%)
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
All (21)  
Used (10)  
New (11)  
Close
Sort by
Page 1 of 3
Showing 1 – 10 of 21 (3 pages)
$1.93
(Save 72%)
OwlsBooks-TRM
Seller since 2009

Feedback rating:

(22563)

Condition:

New — never opened or used in original packaging.

Like New — packaging may have been opened. A "Like New" item is suitable to give as a gift.

Very Good — may have minor signs of wear on packaging but item works perfectly and has no damage.

Good — item is in good condition but packaging may have signs of shelf wear/aging or torn packaging. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Acceptable — item is in working order but may show signs of wear such as scratches or torn packaging. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Used — An item that has been opened and may show signs of wear. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Refurbished — A used item that has been renewed or updated and verified to be in proper working condition. Not necessarily completed by the original manufacturer.

Good
Giving great service since 2004: Buy from the Best! 4,000,000 items shipped to delighted customers. We have 1,000,000 unique items ready to ship! Find your Great Buy today!

Ships from: Lakewood, WA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.93
(Save 72%)
OwlsBooks-TRM
Seller since 2009

Feedback rating:

(22563)

Condition: Very Good
Giving great service since 2004: Buy from the Best! 4,000,000 items shipped to delighted customers. We have 1,000,000 unique items ready to ship! Find your Great Buy today!

Ships from: Lakewood, WA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.93
(Save 72%)
OwlsBooks-TRM
Seller since 2009

Feedback rating:

(22563)

Condition: Good
Giving great service since 2004: Buy from the Best! 4,000,000 items shipped to delighted customers. We have 1,000,000 unique items ready to ship! Find your Great Buy today!

Ships from: Lakewood, WA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.93
(Save 72%)
OwlsBooks-TRM
Seller since 2009

Feedback rating:

(22563)

Condition: Good
Giving great service since 2004: Buy from the Best! 4,000,000 items shipped to delighted customers. We have 1,000,000 unique items ready to ship! Find your Great Buy today!

Ships from: Lakewood, WA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.93
(Save 72%)
Shopbookaholic
Seller since 2009

Feedback rating:

(486)

Condition: Good
2012 Paperback Good General Used Condiiton. Minor Defects may Exist. Minimal Shelf wear. Text may contain minor marking or highlighting, Binding Tight. Previous owners name or ... bookplate may be present. Like New, May have remainder mark (black line generally made acrossed bottom page edge to indicate close out by publisher) Read more Show Less

Ships from: Wichita, KS

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$3.56
(Save 49%)
New Chapter Recycling
Seller since 2010

Feedback rating:

(3285)

Condition: Very Good

Ships from: Lakewood, WA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$3.68
(Save 47%)
New Chapter Recycling
Seller since 2010

Feedback rating:

(3285)

Condition: Good

Ships from: Lakewood, WA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$3.75
(Save 46%)
PaperbackshopUS
Seller since 2009

Feedback rating:

(4793)

Condition: New
Shipped from US in 4 to 14 business days. Established seller since 2000

Ships from: Aurora, IL

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
$3.75
(Save 46%)
ExpeditedBooksUS
Seller since 2010

Feedback rating:

(887)

Condition: New
Shipped from US. Express shipping in 3 to 6 business days. Standard shipping in 4 to 14 business days. Established seller since 2000

Ships from: Aurora, IL

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$3.94
(Save 44%)
TrackedBooksUS
Seller since 2012

Feedback rating:

(88)

Condition: New
Shipped from US in 4 to 14 business days standard or 3 to 6 business days express. FREE TRACKING WITH EVERY ORDER! Established seller since 2000

Ships from: Aurora, IL

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
Page 1 of 3
Showing 1 – 10 of 21 (3 pages)
Close
Sort by
NOOK Book (eBook)
$8.35
BN.com price
$9.95 List Price (Save 16%)

Available on NOOK devices and apps

  • Nook Devices
  • NOOK
  • NOOK Color
  • NOOK Tablet
  • Tablet/Phone
  • NOOK for iPad
  • NOOK for iPhone
  • NOOK for Android
  • NOOK for Android (Tablet)
  • NOOK Kids for iPad
  • PC/Mac
  • NOOK Study
  • NOOK for PC
  • NOOK for Mac

Want a NOOK? Explore Now

Note: Kids' Club Eligible. See More Details.

More About This Book

Overview

Nhamo’s mother is dead, and her father is gone. She is a virtual slave in her small African village. Before her twelfth birthday, Nhamo learns that she must marry a cruel man with three other wives and decides desperately to run away. Alone on the river, in a stolen boat, she 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. Nancy Farmer’s masterful storytelling makes this a truly spellbinding novel and readers will be cheering for Nhamo from beginning to end. 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.

While fleeing from Mozambique to Zimbabwe to escape an unwanted marriage, Nhamo, an eleven-year-old Shona girl, struggles to escape drowning and starvation and in so doing comes close to the luminous world of the African spirits.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
This 1997 Newbery Honor book, which is set in Africa, is both a survival story and a spiritual voyage. "[The heroine] is a stunning creationwhile she serves as a fictional ambassador from a foreign culture, she is supremely human. An unforgettable work," said PW in a starred review. Ages 10-14. (Mar.)
Children's Literature
This story of the physical and spiritual journey of a young Shona girl will keep readers enthralled until the very last page. Nhamo is faced with an impending marriage to a horrible man who already has a few wives. She decides, with the encouragement of her grandmother, to escape to her father's family in Zimbabwe. It is a trip that should have taken days, but it ends up taking a year. That Nhamo survives and eventually finds a better life for herself is a testament to her courage and character. It is a truly fascinating saga and deserved to be a Newbery Honor book.
More Reviews (3) Fewer Reviews
The ALAN Review
When a cholera epidemic rampages through her village, Nhamo feels partly to blame. After all, a girl whose name translates as "disaster" must have drawn the sickness. Nhamo's family pledges her in marriage to assuage the evil spirits that have caused the illness. Hers will be a loveless marriage: her husband-to-be is more than twice Nhamo's twelve years of age, and so Nhamo flees, seeking refuge with her long-lost father in Zimbabwe. Her trip is fraught with perils, though her adventure serves to strengthen her resolve to become an independent woman. This absorbing tale provides a satisfying knowledge of the culture and customs of Africa in much the same way as Farmer did in The Ear, the Eye and the Arm. This Newbery Honor book and semifinalist for the National Book Award would pair well with Call It Courage and other such stories.
School Library Journal
Gr 6-9For Nhamo, an 11-year-old Shona girl living in Mozambique in 1981, life is filled with the traditions of her village people. When family circumstances, a ngozi (angry spirit), and a cholera epidemic force her into a horrible marriage, she flees with only her grandmother's blessings, some gold nuggets, and many survival skills. Still, what should have been a two-day boat trip across the border to her father's family in Zimbabwe spans a year. Daily conversations with spirits help to combat her loneliness and provide her with sage and practical advice. The most incredible leg of her journey is spent on an island where Nhamo closely observes and is warily accepted by a baboon family only to have one of them destroy her shelter and food supply. She makes mistakes, loses heart, and nearly dies of starvation. Even after she arrives in Zimbabwe where she lives with scientists before meeting her father's family, Nhamo must learn to survive in civilization and exorcise the demons that haunt her. A cast of characters, glossary, background information on South Africa and the Shona, and a bibliography ground this novel's details and culture. This story is humorous and heartwrenching, complex and multilayered, and 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.Susan Pine, New York Public Library
Kirkus Reviews
Farmer (Runnery Granary, p. 300, etc.) plunges readers deep into South African social and spiritual worlds in this tale of a Shona girl fleeing an arranged marriage.

When the muvuki, the witchfinder, declares that Nhamo must marry an unsavory stranger to propitiate a murder victim's spirit, Nhamo gathers her few possessions and steals away in the village's only boat, intending to float up the Musengezi to Zimbabwe and find the father she's never known. It's a perilous journey that tests every ounce of her strength, will, and ingenuity: She has to find food in seasons fat and lean, cope with loneliness, face threats from everything from (elusive, perhaps metaphysical) leopards to land mines. Gathering discorporate (imaginary? not to her) companions as she goes, Nhamo lives in and off the wild for months, ending up at last, after finding her father's grave and enduring a cold reception from his family, with the congenial scientists at a tsetse fly research station. Although Farmer describes the history and culture of the Shona and other groups in an afterword, she hardly needs to; the cultural backdrop is so skillfully developed in her protagonist's experiences and responses that it will seem as understandable—or, in the case of European and Christian practices, as strange—and immediate to readers as it is to Nhamo. This wonderfully resourceful young woman is surrounded by an equally lively, colorful cast, and 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 (1994).

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780545356626
  • Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
  • Publication date: 1/1/2012
  • Edition description: Reprint
  • Pages: 336
  • Sales rank: 133,724
  • Age range: 8 - 12 Years
  • Product dimensions: 5.25 (w) x 7.55 (h) x 0.77 (d)

Meet the Author

Nancy Farmer
Nancy Farmer

Before becoming a writer, Nancy Farmer lived in Africa, and her work there included monitoring water weeds in Mozambique and helping to control tsetse flies in Zimbabwe. Since then, she has earned a host of prestigious awards for her writing, including three Newbery Honors for THE EAR, THE EYE AND THE ARM; A GIRL NAMED DISASTER; and THE HOUSE OF THE SCORPION. She lives in Menlo Park, California, with her husband. Visit her online at nancyfarmerwebsite.com.

Biography

Born in Phoenix, Arizona and raised in a quirky hotel on the outskirts of Mexico, Farmer's unconventional upbringing around such types as rodeo wranglers and circus travelers all but guaranteed the unique and colorful life that was to follow.

After receiving her B.A. degree from Oregon's Reed College 1963, Farmer enlisted in the Peace Corps in India where she served from 1963 to 1965. From 1969 to 1971, she found herself immersed in the study of chemistry at Merritt College in Oakland, California and later at the University of California at Berkeley from 1969 to 1971. However, her wanderlust eventually took her to Africa, where she labored as a lab technician in Zimbabwe from 1975 to 1978. There, she met Harold, her husband-to-be, who was an English teacher at the University; after a weeklong courtship, they were engaged. Happily married ever since, they have a son, Daniel.

On how she decided to become a writer, Farmer explained in an interview with the Educational Paperback Association, "When Daniel was four, while I was reading a novel, the feeling came over me that I could create the same kind of thing. I sat down almost in a trance and produced a short story. It wasn't good, but it was fun. I was forty years old." She continues, "Since that time I have been absolutely possessed with the desire to write. I can't explain it, only that everything up to then was a preparation for my real vocation."

Her first book, Do You Know Me?, an adventure for young people set in Zimbabwe, was soon to follow this epiphany. The book was well-received by kids and critics alike, and Publishers Weekly praised Farmer for providing "a most interesting window on a culture seldom seen in children's books."

Her follow-up, The Ear, the Eye and the Arm, was named an Newbery Award Honor Book in 1995, and also honored as a Notable Book and a Best Book for Young Adults by the American Library Association, and an Honor Book by the Golden Kite Awards, awarded by the Society of Children's Writers and Illustrators. Most recently, The House of the Scorpion won the 2002 National Book Award for Young People's Literature.

Good To Know

A former chemistry teacher, one of Farmer's first jobs was as an insect pathology technician. Said farmer in an interview with the Educational Paperback Association, "I had never taken entomology. All I knew was that bugs had more legs than cows, but my boss wanted someone who wouldn't talk back to him."

    1. Hometown:
      Menlo Park, California
    1. Date of Birth:
      July 9, 1941
    2. Place of Birth:
      Phoenix, Arizona
    1. Education:
      B.A., Reed College, 1963

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 56 )

Rating Distribution

5 Star

(39)

4 Star

(11)

3 Star

(1)

2 Star

(2)

1 Star

(3)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or Leave Anonymously

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identiy on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously

We're sorry, but penname is already taken.

Please select one of the following:
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously

penname is available!

By visiting the BN.com website or marking a purchase on BN.com, a User is deemed to have accepted the Terms of Use.

Continue Anonymously

Welcome, penname

You have successfully created your Pen Name. Start enjoying the benefits of the BN.com Community today.

See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 56 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted December 22, 2007

    Thrilling Story

    I have just finished reading A Girl Named Disaster for a school book report and find the book fascinating. I appreciate how Mrs. Farmer includes so much detail and description in her writing. If you are interested about different culture, especially African, and enjoy lots of detail and description, A Girl Named Disaster is the book for you. I feel that A Girl Named Disaster is an extraordianryily rich novel filled with goodness. I am very much looking forward to reading all of Mrs. Farmers other books.

    4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted November 27, 2007

    A Girl Named Disaster

    I really enjoyed the book A Girl Named Disaster by Nancy Farmer. Nhamo, the main character, is a teenager living in a traditional Shona village. Her mother died and she is treated badly by everyone in her village except her grandma, Ambuya, and her cousin, Masvita. One day Ambuya tells Nhamo to sail to Zimbabwe, where her father lives. This is because her family is about to marry her off to a horrible diseases man with many wives. Nhamo starts on her journey with high hopes, but is discouraged when she becomes possessed by an evil witch and has many encounters with the kind but creepy water spirits, njuzu. She comes close to death many times. First, Nhamo almost starves multiple times and she is also almost killed by a wild baboon. She has to teach herself how to hunt, how to tell good food from bad, how to build a stable shelter, and etc. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes survival stories or has an interest in nature and animals. A Girl Named Disaster is directed towards children ten years old and up, and it is an exciting read. There are many times that one may think Nhamo would die, and that keeps you on the edge of your seat the throughout the whole story. If you liked this book or are interested in reading it, you may also like The Cay by Theodore Taylor.

    3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted May 17, 2007

    excellent adventure story of a courageous and resourceful girl

    This is a great book for any age old enough to understand the story (10 or so). My husband and I enjoyed it as much as my daughter. Nhamo is a very smart, appealing character who endures and overcomes isolation, her own shortcomings and a whole range of problems and finally finds friends she can trust in a cruel and dangerous world.

    3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted April 12, 2000

    Awesome Book!

    I am reading this book for my Honors Geography class. So far I am thoroughly enjoying it. It is about a young Rhona Girl named Nhamo. Nhamo feels invincible to harm, yet in the end she learns that life isn't perfect. She displays her emotions at the correct times in the book when you are supceptable to them. The adventure and drama in this story are absolutely captivating. It is definetly one of those books that draw you in and won't let you out until you're done reading it. I would recomend this book to everyone, especially teens age 10-18.

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted February 15, 2000

    Very Good!

    A good, suspensful tale of survival. Also, a good glimpse into Shona Culture.

    1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted May 18, 2012

    Review by Aruba

    I luved this book!!!! Yay!!! Buy it. Lol merci u here? Well bye bye!
    -Aruba/Ruby/Rue

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted April 21, 2012

    Omgggggg it was

    I am an 11 yr old and i luved it!!!!! I couldnt put it down and read in class too! Nancy farmers book is amazingly great. Plz read ur going to luv it!

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted March 12, 2012

    I loved it

    I love this book. It tells of a journey. Streangth and true love. Not just the boy girl kind but for family,enviorment and yourself. She traveled so far and never gave up. I loved this book and i know you will too

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted February 7, 2012

    Its ok

    Im reading it for school right now and its ok if u lik cultural books if not this book defenitly isnt for you

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted January 16, 2012

    READ ThIS

    First offff thx for lisenting

    0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted January 1, 2012

    LOVE IT!!!!

    This book is really great!! It is one of my favorites!! And yes,this would be really be helpful (but not TOO helpful) in early teen years.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted November 11, 2011

    Great

    Me and my family loved all of the book

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted October 20, 2011

    Great Book

    This is a great book! It is exciting and interesting. I learned tons about the African culture in 1981 and about some interesting animals. I would personaly reccomend this book for early teen girls. A great book for school too. Read it.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted October 9, 2011

    Love it!!!!!

    I read this book for A summer reading project and tried to find another one like it. Great book for young readers!

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted July 6, 2011

    Beautiful!

    Nancy Farmer has a way with story telling, and this is the prime example of that. This journey of a young girl named Nhamo traces her ascension into womanhood and the spiritual journey she goes through within. It is filled with lore, shenanigans, and it will make you feel plenty of emotions as you read! You feel as if you are there watching Nhamo, silently in the woods, you are part of the spirit world and this is just one of the many stories you will witness.


    Read The Ear, The Eye, and The Arm by Nancy Farmer...another great book!

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted June 27, 2011

    So interesting!

    I'm in the middle of it but it still is one of the best books i've ever read! Deafinetly on my top 50 list!!!!!!!!! It's very interesting and in dealf, I hope more people read it. P.S. I love all the funky names!!!!!!!!

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted August 10, 2010

    This Was A Great Historical Fiction Book!

    A Girl Named Disaster by Nancy Farmer, is a historical fiction book, about a girl in Africa, named Nhamo, dealing with her life after her mother was eaten by a leopard. Nhamo is a great heroine. She is tough, careful, smart, strong, and all the other things that a good heroine should have. I also believe that this book had a lot of great information about Africa, and its people, from Africans themselves. I am not a big historical fiction book fan, but I think that this book was well written, researched, and fun to read, like any other fiction book. This book was pretty good. It was also good to use on my report about Africa!

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted August 30, 2009

    more from this reviewer

    I Also Recommend:

    9781594480003 9780141311098

    An Escape From What You Know

    I own this book, and adore it. It is one of my favorites. It strings you along the entire ride of the character. What I like most is that the author, Nancy Farmer, has traveled this book herself and told the story through another's eyes. It's a thrilling book that takes you out of everything you're used to and steeps you into a new culture entirely.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted February 5, 2009

    A remarkable tale filled with rich culture and spirituality!

    A Newberry Award winning book, A Girl Named Disaster was a very touching novel. This historical fiction story about the journey of a modern day African girl was filled with page turning events, spiritual elements, and rich culture.
    Overall it is a dramatic story that will take readers on an emotional roller coaster. They will be happy when Nhamo achieves something, but grieve at her losses. The center of attention in the story, Nhamo, is faced with many troubles. Her mother is dead and her village is swept with malaria. Who is put to blame for the outbrak of malaria? Nhamo's father, who murdered a man while under the influence. The whole village outcasts Nhamo because they believe the spirit of the man who Nhamo's father killed is coming to take revenge by casting curses onto the village. In order to stop all the bad events from happening to the village, the community believes that they should give Nhamo up to the spirits family. In other words, Nhamo had to marry the spirit's cruel, old brother.
    With the help of her Ambuya, Nhamo was able to run away from the marrige and set off to find her long lost father and his family. Things go quite well, until Nhamo takes the wrong route and ends up in Lake Cabora Bassa, where things start getting dangerous. I'll leave the rest for you to find out.
    The only downfall of the story is the repetitive use of African words. It does add alot of culture to the story, but it is hard to constantly look to the glossary in the back every time you come across a foreign word. The story did start out somewhat slow, but it did pick up after a few chapters, which was good.
    I would definately recommend this wonderful novel to teens, especially girls, who like cultural literature. Girls can relate to the story more because Nhamo herself goes through changes in her body as the journey progresses.

    I rate this book 4 stars for its touching and thought provoking plot and for its lovable star, Nhamo.

    (:




    hi mrs. patrick.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 7, 2008

    worth reading

    i love a girl named disaster .i love reading about people who goes through trouble in life and try to over come it.i hope book 2 will be getting ready to come out.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 56 Customer Reviews
If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
Why is this product inappropriate?
Comments (optional)
500 character limit