Katie Quirk is a woman prone to wanderlust. She’s lived in India for four years, Tanzania for two, and France for one. Her debut middle grade novel, “A Girl Called Problem”, is set in Africa and has been getting lovely reviews.
From Amazon: Thirteen-year-old Shida, whose name means “problem” in Swahili, certainly has a lot of problems in her life — her father is dead, her depressed mother is rumored to be a witch, her family bears the weight of a curse, and everyone in her rural Tanzanian village expects her to marry rather than pursue her dream of becoming a healer. So when the elders of Litongo make a controversial decision to move Shida’s people to a nearby village, Shida welcomes the change. Surely the opportunity to go to school and learn from a nurse can only mean good things. Nonetheless, mysterious calamities plague Shida’s people after their move. Desperate to stay, Shida must prove to her people that life can be better in their new home.
Katie is giving away two copies of “Problem” to MUF readers. To be eligible to win, please leave a comment below. And thanks, Katie!
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Tricia is the author of many books for middle grade, most recently "Every Single Second" (HarperCollins) and the third book in the Cody series, "Cody and the Rules of Life" (Candlewick Press). A frequent speaker at schools, libraries, and conferences, she lives in Cleveland OH. You can find out more about her and her work at www.triciaspringstubb.com
I’ve known the author of this book since second grade. I am not surprised she writes for a living as she has some remarkable experiences and is gifted with description.
All the best.
Congrats on publishing your first book.. Wow.. That certainly has an impressive ring to it! Waiting to get my very own copy. I can’t wait to read it!
I am lucky enough to call Katie a friend and cannot wait to read this book! I have to wait a few years to read it to my kiddos, but I am always searching for multicultural options for them.
I’ve been looking forward to this book’s publication for awhile now! Congratulations to Katie on a wonderful achievement!
I am always looking for books about other cultures, different perspectives; this looks like a very different point of view.
That should read – “determine” – whoops!
I just listened to a “Freakanomics” podcast titled, “What is your name worth?” It’s all about how your name does not pre-determin your path in life – it was very interesting, and then I see the title of this book. I guess I’m pre-determined to need to read it! Thank you!
Would love to read a book set in Tanzania!
Thanks for sharing this!
It sounds like an inspiring read, and a great way to learn about Tanzania.
I teach a world cultures literature unit with 6th graders and this sounds like it could be a perfect book for them!
Dear Cindy,
I look forward to seeing how teachers use this book in the classroom. If it’s of interest, I’m excited to do Skype visits with classes, and I’ve put a lot of extras (discussion questions, photos, videos on katie-quirk.com with classes in mind).
Thanks for your interest,
Katie
katie-quirk.com
sounds wonderful. and I do like that cover.
~L
This is really intriguing and I’d love to get to know “Problem” and her problems. Sounds like someone who recognizes her own power. Thanks for offering the giveaway!
I’ll be interested in comparing this to “A Girl Named Disaster” by Nancy Farmer.
Wow, sounds fascinating.
This books appears very interesting. So many intriguing ideas in that short blurb alone. Thanks for offering a giveaway.