Book Descriptions
for The Mzungu Boy by Meja Mwangi
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
From The United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY)
Kariuki, the twelve-year-old son of the cook on a white-owned plantation in 1950s colonial Kenya, befriends Nigel, the grandson of the owner, Bwana Ruin. Although Kariuki’s father and Bwana Ruin forbid this relationship, Nigel (known as the Mzungu boy) and Kariuki secretly explore the forest together and eventually decide to hunt the dangerous warthog, Old Moses. Their innocent adventure turns deadly serious when Nigel is kidnapped by Mau Mau rebels who are fighting the white settlers and Kariuki’s older brother is implicated. Based upon the author’s own experiences, this novel is a sequel to Jimi the Dog (Longman Kenya, 1990). 2006 Winner of the Chil dren’s Africana Book Award, 2006 ALA Notable Books List, and a 2005 Society of School Librarians International (SSLI) Notable Books in the Language Arts Honor Book. bal
Originally published as Little White Man by Longman Kenya, in 1990.
From the Publisher
Winner, Children's Africana Book Award - Best Book for Older Readers
For young Kariuki, life in a small village in central Kenya is one great adventure. And when he meets Nigel life becomes even more interesting. Nigel is from England and he has come to visit his great grandfather, the fearsome Bwana Ruin who owns the farm where all the villagers work. The villagers call Nigel the mzungu boy, and they view him with suspicion and fear.
Nevertheless, Kariuki becomes friends with Nigel and the two spend happy days exploring the forest together. Then one day the two boys decide to hunt down Old Moses, the biggest, ugliest, oldest and meanest warthog in the forest. The hunt takes them deeper into the jungle than Kariuki has ever gone, and his beloved forest becomes a frightening place, filled with dangerous creatures, including the Mau-mau, the mysterious men who have guns and are plotting against Bwana Ruin and the white soldiers. And when Nigel suddenly disappears, Kariuki realizes that it is up to him to save his friend.