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. Gr 6-9-Thirteen-year-old Shida, whose name means "problem" in Swahili, has been told all her life by her widowed mother that their family is cursed. When the elders of her village inform the residents of Tanzanian President Nayere's 1967 decree that they should move and share resources with a nearby village, Shida is excited for the change, thinking that she will finally have the opportunity to go to school and study under the village's nurse. Soon after arriving at the new village, however, troubling things begin to happen, and Shida's mother's belief in a curse seems more and more real. When tragedy strikes the family, surprising secrets are revealed, and the people must decide whether to remain in the new village or return to their land. Although the story has a slow start, readers will soon be immersed in the culture of this Sukuma village and will urge Shida on as she works hard to help her difficult mother and as she seeks the education that she will need to become a healer. Quirk strikes a good balance between traditional Sukuma tribal beliefs and more modern ideas about medicine and education. A glossary and help readers better understand the culture and setting in which the story takes place.-Sarah Reid, Broome County Public Library, Binghamton, NYα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. “The ancestors don’t like girls going to school.” Is that why the crop is failing in 13-year-old Shida’s rural village in Tanzania in the late 1960s? Shida is thrilled to learn to read in her rough one-room schoolhouse, and her dream is to train with the village nurse. She is encouraged by her wise grandfather, Babu, an ardent follower of the adored new president, Nyerere, who supports women’s education and has freed the people from white colonialism. But many villagers, including Shida’s widowed, depressed mother and the boys in the classroom, are hostile to girls being educated and leaving the traditional ways. Who released the precious village cattle? Is someone poisoning the collective crops? Quirk spent two years in Tanzania, and this original paperback includes a detailed Swahili glossary with notes and photos. The young girl’s moving personal story brings close not only the intense battle over education and equality but also the basic struggle for the freedoms that come with running water, electricity, and medicine. Can Shida change her mother? Grades 5-9. --Hazel Rochman "Despite having penned this work of fiction as an outsider to the culture, Quirk's debut novel for children gives readers an intimate view of rural Tanzania in the early 1970s through details of daily life, folklore, family dynamics and spiritual beliefs. ...The novel offers a captivating introduction to Tanzanian life, culture and language (both Swahili and Sukuma), while the mystery of who has cast the 'curse' keeps readers intrigued. A mesmerizing read that expands young readers' worldview even as the pages turn." --Kirkus (starred review) For author pictures of Tanzania, a video depicting the life of a modern Tanzanian girl, discussion questions for each chapter of the book, and suggestions for further reading, please go to katie-quirk.com and follow the links for A Girl Called Problem . Katie Quirk (katie-quirk.com) fell in love with Tanzania while teaching on the southern shore of Lake Victoria for two years. She currently lives in Maine and is working on a book about raising her son in India.