Book picks similar to
The Drummer Boy (Sunbird Readers Series, 14) by Cyprian Ekwensi
fiction
nigeria
cultural-african-literature
african
Goosebumps Series 10 Books Collection Set (Classic Covers)
R.L. Stine - 1997
Stine's Goosebumps books have had a resurgence of late following the success of the film starring Jack Black. This collection contains 10 of the classic tales of terror - all with refreshed jacket artwork - that will give children a fright! A favourite with generations, among the books to give kids nightmares are Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes, The Haunted Car and the seminal Night of the Living Dummy - starring none other than Slappy the dummy. Having sold over 400 million copies around the world, these spooky books will be returned to time and time again by children who love nothing more than to get the creeps. Titles in this collection (10) Stay out of the Basement The Ghost Next Door Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes The Haunted Car Let's Get Invisible The Scarecrow Walks at Night The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb The Blob That Ate Everyone Night of the Living Dummy The Werewolf of Fever Swamp
The Woman Next Door
Yewande Omotoso - 2016
One is black, one white. Both are successful women with impressive careers. Both have recently been widowed. And both are sworn enemies, sharing hedge and hostility which they prune with a zeal that belies the fact that they are both over eighty.But one day an unforeseen event forces the women together. And gradually the bickering and sniping softens into lively debate, and from there into memories shared. But could these sparks of connection ever transform into friendship? Or is it too late to expect these two to change?
We Need New Names
NoViolet Bulawayo - 2013
In Zimbabwe, Darling and her friends steal guavas, try to get the baby out of young Chipo's belly, and grasp at memories of Before. Before their homes were destroyed by paramilitary policemen, before the school closed, before the fathers left for dangerous jobs abroad.But Darling has a chance to escape: she has an aunt in America. She travels to this new land in search of America's famous abundance only to find that her options as an immigrant are perilously few. NoViolet Bulawayo's debut calls to mind the great storytellers of displacement and arrival who have come before her--from Junot Diaz to Zadie Smith to J.M. Coetzee--while she tells a vivid, raw story all her own.
Ghana Must Go
Taiye Selasi - 2013
A renowned surgeon and failed husband, he succumbs suddenly at dawn outside his home in suburban Accra. The news of Kweku’s death sends a ripple around the world, bringing together the family he abandoned years before. Ghana Must Go is their story. Electric, exhilarating, beautifully crafted, Ghana Must Go is a testament to the transformative power of unconditional love, from a debut novelist of extraordinary talent. Moving with great elegance through time and place, Ghana Must Go charts the Sais’ circuitous journey to one another. In the wake of Kweku’s death, his children gather in Ghana at their enigmatic mother’s new home. The eldest son and his wife; the mysterious, beautiful twins; the baby sister, now a young woman: each carries secrets of his own. What is revealed in their coming together is the story of how they came apart: the hearts broken, the lies told, the crimes committed in the name of love. Splintered, alone, each navigates his pain, believing that what has been lost can never be recovered—until, in Ghana, a new way forward, a new family, begins to emerge.Ghana Must Go is at once a portrait of a modern family, and an exploration of the importance of where we come from to who we are. In a sweeping narrative that takes us from Accra to Lagos to London to New York, Ghana Must Go teaches that the truths we speak can heal the wounds we hide.
Lagoon
Nnedi Okorafor - 2014
Told from multiple points of view and crisscrossing narratives, combining everything from superhero comics to Nigerian mythology to tie together a story about a city consuming itself. ‘There was no time to flee. No time to turn. No time to shriek. And there was no pain. It was like being thrown into the stars.’
Smouldering Charcoal
Paul Tiyambe Zeleza - 1992
The middle-class pair become victims of the same brutal violence that the poor and powerless suffer.
The Clothes of Nakedness
Benjamin Kwakye - 1998
A portrayal of contemporary Ghanian urban society and working class lives.
Mystery Ranch
Arthur Chapman - 1921
You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.
The Twits: A Play
David Wood - 2000
The monkey's cruel incarceration in a cage is avenged when the birds trick the Twits into believing the world has turned upside-down. The Twits join in, aided by the birds who drop glue on their hair, and the audience is encouraged to play their part in freeing the monkeys.
Addy: An American Girl (Boxed Set)
Connie Rose Porter - 1994
Addy's stories tell of her daring escape with her mother from slavery, and the challenges they face afterward as they try to reunite their family. But Addy's stories are about much more than hardship. They are full of the love and hope that help her get through the worst of times and keep her dreams alive The perfect way to learn about Addy is with a complete set of her six books in an attractive slipcase.
Animorphs
K.A. Applegate - 1997
This power is granted them by a dying Andalite alien named Elfangor, who also warns the teens that Earth is being threatened secretly by a group of aliens called Yeerks. This high-interest series is currently a successful television show and will be sure to intrigue even the most reluctant readers.
What Katy Did
Susan Coolidge - 1872
When Katy meets her Cousin Helen, an invalid, Katy is awed by her kindness, prettiness, and generosity. Katy is determined to become more like Helen, a resolution that lasts only a few hours. Soon, however, Katy gets a chance to become more like cousin Helen than she ever wished as she finds herself confined to her bedroom for four years as a result of an accident. Much of the story is focused on the change Katy undergoes during her illness. Helen visits again to advise Katy to learn from her experience and to try to become the center of the house by making her room and herself more attractive to others. One way Katy decides to take Helen's advice is through assuming the responsibility of running the house, a job that consists of giving the servants instructions and ringing her bell to summon her sisters when she has a task for them. As soon as Katy has learned the lesson about how to care for others, she recovers and regains the ability to walk. Grade 5-8
Petals of Blood
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o - 1977
A deceptively simple tale, Petals of Blood is on the surface a suspenseful investigation of a spectacular triple murder in upcountry Kenya. Yet as the intertwined stories of the four suspects unfold, a devastating picture emerges of a modern third-world nation whose frustrated people feel their leaders have failed them time after time. First published in 1977, this novel was so explosive that its author was imprisoned without charges by the Kenyan government. His incarceration was so shocking that newspapers around the world called attention to the case, and protests were raised by human-rights groups, scholars, and writers, including James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Donald Barthelme, Harold Pinter, and Margaret Drabble.First time in Penguin Classics
The Secret of the Mansion
Julie Campbell - 1948
But then a millionaire's daughter moves into the next-door mansion, an old miser hides a fortune in his decrepit house, and a runaway kid starts hiding out in Sleepyside!"
Freckles
Gene Stratton-Porter - 1904
Maimed and abandoned as an infant, Freckles seeks a chance to prove his worth. He is given that opportunity as the guard of the precious timber of the Limberlost.