The Kaya Girl

(Hardback)

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Description

Writing with effortlessly engaging prose, Wolo showcases the interweaving layers of Ghanaian culture to create a prismatic, multifaceted world in which two young girls, against all odds, are able to find each other.

When Faiza, a Muslim migrant girl from northern Ghana, and Abena, a wealthy doctor's daughter from the south, meet by chance in Accra's largest market, where Faiza works as a porter or kaya girl, they strike up an unlikely and powerful friendship that transcends their social inequities and opens up new worlds to them both.

Set against a backdrop of class disparity in Ghana, The Kaya Girl has shades of The Kite Runner in its unlikely friendship, and of Slumdog Millionaire as Faiza's life takes unlikely turns that propel her thrillingly forward. As, over the course of the novel, Abena awakens to the world outside her sheltered, privileged life, the novel explores a multitude of awakenings and the opportunities that lie beyond the breaking down of barriers. This is a gorgeously transporting work, offering vivid insight into two strikingly diverse young lives in Ghana.

Reviews

*"Employing realistic dialogue and lush descriptions of the sights, smells, and tastes of Ghana, this smart exploration of friendship's lasting power centers two teens expanding and exploring their worlds."--Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Middle graders will enjoy being transported to the sights, sounds, smells, and flavors of the Makola Market in Accra, Ghana, which set the stage for Adena's summer."--School Library Journal, starred review
"Readers...will also recognize that moving beyond bias can be an act of individual courage and choice."--BCCB
"...will transport readers to Ghana."--Booklist

Author Bio

Martina Odonkor, a Ghanaian writer living in Ghana, graduated from the University of Cambridge with a BA and MA in Modern Languages and an MPhil in Latin American Studies, and her short stories have since appeared in various international anthologies and journals. Odonkor was nominated for the Caine Prize for African Literature in 2009 and won the Burt Award for African Writing in 2011. In 2014, Odonkor was shortlisted for the Golden Baobab Prize for African Children's Literature and served as a resident writer on the University of Iowa's International Writing Program fall residency. She is currently completing a distance masters degree in creative writing with the University of Lancaster, UK, on full scholarship.