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Name: A Girl Named Disaster: Farmer, Nancy: 9780545356626: Amazon.com: Books
Price: 7.19 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.5 (279 reviews)

Nancy Farmer

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A Girl Named Disaster Paperback – January 1, 2012

by Nancy Farmer (Author)

4.5 279 ratings

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This Newbery Honor book by award-winning, bestselling author Nancy Farmer is being reissued in paperback!

Eleven-year-old Nhamo lives in a traditional village in Mozambique, where she doesn't quite fit in. When her family tries to force her into marrying a cruel man, she runs away to Zimbabwe, hoping to find the father she's never met. But what should have been a short boat trip across the border turns into a dangerous year-long adventure, and Nhamo must summon her innermost courage to ensure her survival.

Reading age

9 - 12 years
Print length

336 pages
Language

English
Grade level

4 - 7
Lexile measure

730L
Dimensions

5.25 x 0.75 x 7.25 inches
Publisher

Scholastic Paperbacks
Publication date

January 1, 2012
ISBN-10

0545356628
ISBN-13

978-0545356626
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Editorial Reviews

Review

* "An unforgettable work." --PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, starred review* "Rewarding." --KIRKUS, starred review* "This story is humorous and heart wrenching, complex and multilayered. . . . An engrossing and memorable saga." --SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, starred review

About the Author

Before becoming a writer, Nancy Farmer lived in Africa, and her work there included monitoring water weeds in Mozambique and helping to control tsetse flies in Zimbabwe. Since then, she has earned a host of prestigious awards for her writing, including three Newbery Honors for THE EAR, THE EYE AND THE ARM; A GIRL NAMED DISASTER; and THE HOUSE OF THE SCORPION. She lives in Menlo Park, California, with her husband. Visit her online at www.nancyfarmerwebsite.com.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Scholastic Paperbacks; Reprint edition (January 1, 2012)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0545356628
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0545356626
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 9 - 12 years
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 730L
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 4 - 7
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 0.75 x 7.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #202,707 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #19 in Children's Books on Runaways
- #106 in Children's Africa Books
- #6,126 in Children's Action & Adventure Books (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.5 279 ratings

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Nancy Farmer

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Nancy Farmer has written three Newbery Honor Books: The Ear the Eye and the Arm; A Girl Named Disaster; and The House of the Scorpion, which, in 2002, also won the National Book Award. Other books include The Lord of Opium (sequel to The House of the Scorpion) Do You Know Me: Tapiwa's Uncle, The Warm Place, the Trolls trilogy, three picture books for young children and an adult novel, A New Year's Tale. Nancy Farmer grew up on the Arizona-Mexico border and lives with her family in Arizona.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5

279 global ratings

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Joseph L. Jeannotte

Excellent rite of passage book

Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2009

Verified Purchase

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.

7 people found this helpful

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S. Silverman

Wonderfully misnamed heroine

Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2005

Verified Purchase

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.

26 people found this helpful

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udtrader

great book but even better with youtube videos!

Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2012

Verified Purchase

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.

8 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

One of my favorites

Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2016

Verified Purchase

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.

5 people found this helpful

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PT109

What a Wonderful Story

Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2014

Verified Purchase

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.

9 people found this helpful

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Suzanne Bennett

Beautifully read and interesting!

Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2015

Verified Purchase

I like to listen to good readers as I go to sleep at night. I have listened to Lisette Le Cat read the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency books over and over. I bought this book because it is on audio cassette and is read by Lisette Le Cat. I have listened to it once and have slept through some parts of it; however, it is an interesting enough story that I decided to order the actual book and read it before listening to the tapes again. As always, Lisette Le Cat does a beautiful job reading it.

One person found this helpful

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Above the Clouds

I love Nancy Farmer

Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2022

Verified Purchase

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.

One person found this helpful

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Katie H.

Great read

Reviewed in Canada on March 13, 2023

Verified Purchase

Book is as riveting as I remember from my childhood.

シマリス

生命力あふれる名作

Reviewed in Japan on May 27, 2021

Verified Purchase

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。

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