Recommend a Good Book for Kenya

My Blue Plate Special recently blogged about favorite books from youth and mentioned a huge favorite of mine as a kid - Girl of the Limberlost. Would it qualify as an early coming-of-age book featuring a female (a rather rare item until recently, I think)? I've been thinking I should reread it but worry that it won't live up to my memories.

Students at Summit Middle School in Edmond have just donated over 1,000 of their gently used favorite books for the library I have helped bring about in Meru, Kenya. (I can say that because they put my name on a brass plaque at the entrance; very embarrassing for a missioner). Our book collection at that little library is weak on books that appeal to 6th through 12 graders so this donation is much appreciated. The books will wait in storage until I have collected enough to justify renting a 20 foot shipping container and have raised the necessary $10,000 to ship it to the Port of Mombasa.

So, got any ideas of "must have" "juvenile" books -- especially featuring young women -- I should add to the pile? Remember, they are going to be read by Kenyans -many of whom are very poor -- so skip the Brittany Spears/Paris Hilton bios, please!

Here is My Blue Plate Special's mentions.

Preparing for Kenya Trip

In less than 3 weeks, I head back to Kenya for the 4th time in 3 years.

This time I am part of a "mission team" of just two women. Katie McLain plans to work in Meru for three months while I will be there just short of a month.

We are both maintaining trip blogs. Add us to your aggregator, check out our progress occasionally, don't expect many posts while I'm in Kenya -- and say a prayer for us occasionally please!

My blog is http://merukenya2008.blogspot.com/

Katie's blog is http://kenyakatie.livejournal.com/