The Kaya Girl

Set in an outdoor marketplace in the heart of Ghana’s capital, Wolo’s heartwarming debut traces a friendship that overcomes social boundaries, including class and language differences. Abena, the privileged 14-year-old daughter of a successful doctor, is set to spend her summer holidays at her aunt Lydia’s fabric shop, a world away from her upbringing in wealthy Labone, where she attends an exclusive American private school. At Accra’s Makola Market, Abena meets Faiza, a 14-year-old Muslim girl from a small, rural village in northern Ghana. Faiza has moved to Accra to work as a kayayoo, or girl porter, and often faces ill treatment from the market customers. The girls bond instantly over market snacks and the crushes they nurse on the brothers (“similar but different; cool as cucumbers”) who work at a nearby electronics shop, while teaching each other their respective languages. Employing realistic dialogue and lush descriptions of the sights, smells, and tastes of Ghana, this smart exploration of friendship’s lasting power centers two teens expanding and exploring their worlds. Ages 8–12. Agent: Charlotte Sheedy, Charlotte Sheedy Literary. (June)