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When her anthropologist mom takes an assignment to study African tribal customs, 14-year-old Jodie reluctantly leaves her familiar California home for a tiny village in Sierra Leone, West Africa. Once there, Jodie encounters drenching humid heat, outdoor toilets that must always be checked for snakes and scorpions, and a plethora of new odors, most of them unpleasant. "Trapped between an op... More

When her anthropologist mom takes an assignment to study African tribal customs, 14-year-old Jodie reluctantly leaves her familiar California home for a tiny village in Sierra Leone, West Africa. Once there, Jodie encounters drenching humid heat, outdoor toilets that must always be checked for snakes and scorpions, and a plethora of new odors, most of them unpleasant. "Trapped between an open sewer and a display of hanging, smelly dried fish, I couldn't resist asking with a gag, 'Are these some of the great new smells you were talking about?'" Despite her culture shock, Jodie manages to make a place for herself in the village, mostly due to her close friendship with Khadi, a local girl her age. Khadi teaches Jodie Krio, the tribal language, and Jodie teaches Khadi how to read. So when Khadi enters a female secret society called Sande, where no "poo-mui" or "white person" is allowed, Jodie's feelings are hurt. Her hurt quickly turns to anger and fear when she learns that the Sande's last rite of passage involves female circumcision. Can Jodi save Khandi from this age-old custom that horrifies her 21st-century sensibilities? Is it even her place to do so?

Author and photographer Cristina Kessler's firsthand experience of life in Sierra Leone enriches this debut novel about a debilitating custom that is just now beginning to attract global attention. A good choice for high school classroom discussions on multiculturalism, tolerance, and human rights. (Ages 13 to 16) --Jennifer Hubert

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