The Kaya Girl

Contributors

By Mamle Wolo

Formats and Prices

Price

$8.99

Price

$11.99 CAD

An extraordinary tale of two teenagers from vastly different walks of life, this page-turner transports readers to a bustling market in Ghana’s capital city where one friendship transforms two lives. 

When Faiza, a 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 explores how two teenage lives are indelibly impacted by a barrier-defying friendship. This gorgeously transporting work offers vivid insight into two strikingly diverse young lives in Ghana.

  • Praise for The Kaya Girl:
    Kirkus Best Book
    Children's Africana Book Award
  • * "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
  • * "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
  • * "A heartwarming and inspiring tale of a friendship that surpasses class differences and social stigma."
    Kirkus, starred review
  • "...will transport readers to Ghana."
    Booklist
  • "Readers...will also recognize that moving beyond bias can be an act of individual courage and choice."
    BCCB

On Sale
Apr 16, 2024
Page Count
352 pages
ISBN-13
9780316703895

Mamle Wolo

About the Author

MAMLE WOLO is the award-winning author of The Kaya Girl. She studied at the University of Cambridge and the University of Lancaster in the United Kingdom and is an Honorary Fellow in Writing of the University of Iowa. She writes fiction, poetry, and screenplays and lives with her family in Accra, Ghana.
 

Learn more about this author