A Girl Named Disaster

The middle of Farmer's three Newbery Honor books of the last decade, this is different, being historical fiction adventure to the other two's science fiction. Like The Ear, The Eye, and The Arm, this takes place in Africa, giving it an exotic touch. Nhamo (Disaster in her native Shona language) is an orphan of sorts, with a deceased mother and absent father, living traditionally in a tribal village in southern Africa. Through circumstances beyond her own making, she is put in a position of fleeing her home, a not uncommon Newbery theme (see Crispin The Cross of Lead) For this reader, she partakes in the adventure of a strong, bright, observant, resourceful girl/young woman reminding me of Miyax (Julie of the Wolves), Omakayas (The Birchbark House) and Karana (Island of the Blue Dolphins), high company, indeed. Nhamo leads a fascinating life, both in the village and after leaving it, including spending significant amounts of time fending for herself. This is thoroughly enjoyable on many counts, the intriguing cultures, countrysides, and relationships, some touches of spiritualism, the ideas of how to maintain oneself emotionally and physically when isolated, the ideas of perseverance in the face of what appear to be insurmountable obstacles, and flexibility and teaching oneself what's necessary when it's necessary. Well suited for secondary grades, a very strong reading fifth or sixth grader could enjoy it, too.

I have read every book of hers. I am 40 and have been reading them for 10 years. I still love them. Nancy Farmer has talent. Her muse is definitely doing its job.

I've loved this book since middle school, and re-reading it now in my early 20s, I still love it. Excellent storytelling - very straightforward and simple, but not dumbed down. The characters feel like actual human beings, and while it's set in a real place on planet Earth, it still lives in a mysterious universe all its own. Whether Nhamo is actually communing with spirits or it's all in her head is left up to interpretation - Farmer just tells the story as Nhamo sees it, and doesn't set out to prove or disprove anything. That being said, the straightforward method of storytelling isn't for everyone - if you like a really complex narrative with a lot of exposition, you will be disappointed (not saying that's a bad thing, just clarifying the writing style here). Overall, I'd recommend this book for kids or adults - both would probably enjoy it.

My whole fifth grade class is listening to 'Do You Know Me?' - also by Nancy Farmer - as a read-aloud while a group of seven girls and the student teacher are enjoying 'A Girl Named Disaster' in a literature circle. While the boys typically love Gary Paulsen's Hatchet, 'A Girl Named Disaster' offers many benefits to girl readers.Like Hatchet, it is an existential study. The characters in each wrestle with issues of identity, grief, alienation and self-reliance. Nhamo, Farmer's protagonist is believable, likable and an excellent narrator of the hero's journey away from one's home, through myriad adventures, and transformed, to her new place in the world. Farmer is a great writer of characters. The villains are corrupt, the heros are benevolent and many characters are wonderfully mixed. Even the generally steady Nhamo loses her senses and attacks a man with a knife in this rich and complex story.For the girl that likes adventure stories with life and death struggles, wild animals, Africa, and a wonderfully flawed Cinderella ending, I recommend this book.

My daughter and I have read the two Scorpion books and the Sea of Trolls trilogy, all by Nancy Farmer, all excellent. So we decided to go back and check on some of Farmer's earlier items. Am I glad we did. If anything, Disaster is even better. While her later books are heavy on adventure and social commentary, Disaster (as well as Ear, Eye, Arm) dwell largely at the personal level. Still plenty of adventure but I feel that we get to know Nhamo much more than we do the protagonists of Farmer's more recent books (Jack and Matt). And this is to our advantage. The nuance of Nhamo's many-faceted character is a delight to discover. So, interestingly, are the characters of Zimbabwe and Mozambique; Farmer really brings this corner of the African continent alive and tangible and genuinely interesting. This and Ear, Eye, Arm are truly great books.

I bought this book for my 13 year old daughter and she is very intrigued with the reading. She is now learning about the tribes in Brazil and other social lifestyles in school and this book hit a cord with her interests.I just read an article about "undiscovered people" and when shared with corresponding videos on youtube, she is starting to discover the world without Apple, Microsoft, and all other electronics and social complexities.This book triggers new thoughts in young readers, but needs to be complemented with real world examples to make it a "teachable moment". Otherwise, this book will become just another made up story.

The survival story seems to be big in middle school novels so it was nice to read one about a girl. I thought the writing was skilled but the middle was too slow and plodding. The girl's trials in tribal Africa were too severe. She is rejected by just about every human she encounters. She sets out alone in a boat, having never been in one before, in order to avoid a horrendous future. Every time she makes some progress it is wiped out by misfortune. She finds herself at the brink of death at least four times. Nancy Farmer vividly explains Disaster's daily activities right up until the end. Then her whole back story is revealed in one short chapter. Overall A Girl Named Disaster is a compelling story that I enjoyed reading. It is an appropriate challenge for middle school students.

I think this adventurous, challenging, impressive, novel is a great book! This journey has an excellent plot and has great setbacks! It also has an amazing twist, and an awesome challenge to overcome! I would highly recommend it.

Book is as riveting as I remember from my childhood.

かなり前に読みましたが、主人公のひたむきに生きる姿が心に強く残っています。『ビーバー族のしるし』（原題　The Sign of the Beaver）の少女版という感じです。国籍や文化の違いを超えて共感できることも多く、まるで一緒に命がけの旅をしている気分でラストまで一気に読みました。このDisaster（厄災）という名前の少女が、なんとも生命力にあふれて魅力的なのです。近々、この子にまた会って元気をもらうために再読しようと思います。