Ellen Banda-Aaku

Winner of the 2010 Penguin Prize for African Writing. In this coming-of-age novel, acclaimed author Ellen Banda-Aaku offers a profound exploration into the effects of stigma, class, and family dynamics in 1970s Zambia. Pumpkin is a nine-year-old girl pulled between two vastly different worlds – that of her father, the wealthy and power-hungry Joseph Sakavungo, and her mother, his unstable mistress. As Pumpkin attempts to come to terms with her own identity, she struggles to fashion a future for herself out of the torn patchwork of her parents' lives. Beautifully constructed, Banda-Aaku has crafted a story that is in equal parts uplifting and bittersweet.

James Patterson and award-winning author Ellen Banda-Aaku deliver an unforgettable story of a girl, an elephant, and their life-changing friendship. Clever, sensitive Jama likes elephants better than people. While her classmates gossip--especially about the new boy, Leku--twelve-year-old Jama takes refuge at the watering hole outside her village. There she befriends a baby elephant she names Mbegu, Swahili for seed. When Mbegu's mother, frightened by poachers, stampedes, Jama and Mbegu are blamed for two deaths--one elephant and one human. Now Leku, whose mysterious and imposing father is head ranger at the conservancy, may be their only lifeline. Inspired by true events, The Elephant Girl is a moving exploration of the bonds between creatures and the power of belonging.

Jama is a clever and sensitive young Maasai girl who likes elephants better than people. She decides to escape the classroom gossip about the new boy, Leku, by going to the watering hole outside her village. There, she befriends a baby elephant that she names Mbegu. When Mbegu's mother, frightened by poachers, stampedes, Jama and Mbegu are blamed for two deaths - one elephant and one human. Now Leku, whose mysterious and imposing father is the head ranger at the conservancy, may be their only lifeline. A beautiful, heart-pounding story of a girl, an elephant, and their life-changing friendship.

AN INDIE NEXT PICK AND AN AMAZON BEST BOOK OF THE MONTH #1 bestselling author James Patterson and award-winning author Ellen Banda-Aaku deliver an unforgettable story of a girl, an elephant, and their life-changing friendship--perfect for fans of The One and Only Ivan, Pax, and Because of Winn-Dixie. Clever, sensitive Jama likes elephants better than people. While her classmates gossip--especially about the new boy, Leku--twelve-year-old Jama takes refuge at the watering hole outside her village. There she befriends a baby elephant she names Mbegu, Swahili for seed. When Mbegu's mother, frightened by poachers, stampedes, Jama and Mbegu are blamed for two deaths--one elephant and one human. Now Leku, whose mysterious and imposing father is head ranger at the conservancy, may be their only lifeline. Inspired by true events, The Elephant Girl is a moving exploration of the bonds between creatures and the power of belonging.

Ellen Banda-Aaku's first book, Wandi's Little Voice, won the Macmillan Writer's Prize for Africa in 2004. The story is set in a Lusaka suburb. It is about a young girl transitioning into adolescence.