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.