The Mzungu Boy

For Kariuki, life in a small village in Kenya is one great adventure. The best part of his day is the walk home from school, when he is free from both his bullying headmaster and his mother's long list of chores. The landscape around his village is beautifully wild, and Kariuki knows it well. 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.

One day the boys decide to hunt down the meanest warthog in the forest. The hunt takes them deeper into the jungle than Kariuki has ever gone, and all at once his beloved forest becomes a frightening place. Dangerous creatures live in the jungle, including the mau-mau, the men with guns who are plotting against Bwana Ruin and the white soldiers. And when Nigel suddenly disappears, will Kariuki be able to save his friend?

In this novel, the author captures a time of innocence, wild beauty, and the growing violence that eventually changed the entire structure of colonial Africa.

Author: Meja Mwangi
Publisher: Groundwood Books
Published: 03/01/2006
Pages: 150
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.36lbs
Size: 7.52h x 4.98w x 0.39d
ISBN: 9780888996640
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 4.5
Point Value: 5
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 87587 / Mzungu Boy


Review Citation(s):
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 10/01/2005 pg. 110 - Recommended
School Library Journal 11/01/2005 pg. 144
Multicultural Review 12/01/2005 pg. 108

This title is only available via back order