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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.



About the Author

Katie Quirk

Katie Quirk (katie-quirk.com) is the author of A Girl Called Problem, a middle-grade novel set in Tanzania, East Africa. She is currently working on a book about raising her newborn son in India. The settings of Katie's books are reflective of her wanderlust. Katie has lived in India for four years, Tanzania for two, and France for one. Katie has an M.F.A. from Mills College and a B.A. from Haverford College. Originally from Washington state, she now lives in Maine with her family.



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