The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
Penguin Young Readers

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

$13.99
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  • Recommended for 10 years or older
  • Printed in the United States

by William Kamkwamba & Bryan Mealer; illustrated by Anna Hymas

The inspiring true story of a Malawi teenager who brought electricity to his struggling village--now in the ideal classroom-ready edition.

William Kamkwamba grew up in a tiny farming village in Malawi, Africa, without electricity.  When a drought destroyed the crops and famine resulted, William's family could no longer afford his school tuition.  He continued to study on his own, though, painstakingly translating an English science textbook and figuring out how to build a windmill out of old bike parts and other scraps.  To the wonder of his community, he brought electricity to his home, and later to his whole village -- and thus water as well. Includes an eight-page insert of photographs.

Young Readers Edition.

Recommended for ages 10 years and up.

Softcover, 304 pages.

Printed in the United States.

 

William Kamkwamba is a graduate of Dartmouth College. His memoir The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind was a New York Times Bestseller and a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year. He divides his time between Malawi and San Francisco, California.

BRYAN MEALER is the author of Muck City: Winning and Losing in Football’s Forgotten Town and the New York Times bestseller The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, which he wrote with William Kamkwamba, in addition to the children’s book of the same title. He’s also the author of All Things Must Fight to Live, which chronicled his years covering the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo for Harper’s and the Associated Press. His work has appeared in the anthology Best American Travel Writing and was chosen for an Overseas Press Club Award Citation. He and his family live in Austin, Texas.

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Reviews

★ "[An] inspiring story of curiosity and ingenuity." — Publishers Weekly

★ "This book will appeal to adults eager to impart an uplifting Third World human-interest story, but it is also sure to resonate with children who will simply love the curiosity, resilience and resourcefulness of this doughty African youth." — Wall Street Journal

★ "A powerful, gorgeously illustrated children's picture book." — The Boston Globe

★ "This is a dynamic portrait of a young person whose connection to the land, concern for his community, and drive to solve problems offer an inspiring model." — School Library Journal

★ "Zunon illustrates handsomely, with contrasting cut-paper-collage details and broad, sere landscapes painted in visibly textured oils." — Kirkus

★ "This picture book in accessible free verse will draw kids who love to construct their own engineering gadgets." — Booklist

★ Cooperative Children’s Book Center’s 2013 Best-of-the-year list. — CCBC

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