Katie Quirk

Growing up with traditional village values in 1967 just after the independence, Shida, has to reconcile the modern and the traditional. Her name means Problem in Swahili, and she does have problems. Her father is dead and her mother refuses to participate in life, spending most of her time in the hut sleeping and cursing Problem for not doing enough. She is surrounded by family and when her grandfather, the village leader decides to support the new government of Tanzania by moving to a new village to be close to schools and medicine as well as create a community garden where all will help. Shida is delighted to be able to go to school and to work with the nurse, for she has the ability to become a healer. When her opportunity to go to school and the village gardens are destroyed, she has to confront what people see as a curse by a witch. The death of her young cousin from malaria brings the conflict of old witchcraft and new medicine to a climax and shows her that she should not give up her goal of being a healer. Excellent view of Tanzanian history. Middle School book.… (mais)

I really liked A Girl called Problem. Though Shida’s culture was new to me, I found it all fascinating, mostly because of the stark difference between her life in 1967 and mine. I cannot image harvesting all the family’s food, living in a one room home—let alone a hut made of mud and cow dung—not being allowed to attend school, and being expected to learn chores in anticipation of a marriage where the man ruled. Litongo is a very patriarchal society and Shida does not fit in. That is the problem, not that Shida is the problem.

Shida sees all of this as normal but wants to change. She wants to learn, to become a great healer, and to have a career before she has a family. Luckily,
Shida has someone to look up to in Nurse Goldfilda. When things get bad, especially with two bullies, Shida hangs tough and helps her cousins do the same. I like her determination and spunk. When provoked, I think she has a fiery temper that can help change occur.
Shida is a good role model for young girls. She is living in a society where women are second-class citizens with limited opportunities, yet she goes after what she wants, unwilling to give up her dreams. A Girl Called Problem is about Shida’s life, her determination in odds that stack against her. It is a family story. Most of the people in Litongo are related to some degree. This extended family cares for each other in a way not often seen today. I think kids will be impressed with the way all these family members stay together.

A Girl Called Problem is a story both boys and girls will enjoy. I think adults will love this story, as did I. The author based her story on the real Tanzania, the Sukuma people, and her time in Africa. A Girl Called Problem is a middle grade novel kids will learn much from and enjoy. The villagers speak two languages, Swahili and Sukuma—glossary in back—live in an age of witches and curses, and are building a country from the ground up. Not yet born, middle grade kids may think the stark African conditions of 1967 were normal “for so long ago.” This is a perfect book for school libraries and the study of cultures.

A Girl Called Problem is an uplifting story of hope and possibility. It will keep you mesmerized until the very end. It will make you laugh and it will make you cry. Mostly, it will make you think. A Girl called Problem is one of those stories that will stay with you long after you’ve read the last word.
(Received from publisher in exchange for a review)
Original review at Kid Lit Reviews: http://kid-lit-reviews.com/2013/06/05/review-a-girl-called-problem-by-katie-quir...… (mais)