When Kambia Elaine Flew in from Neptune (Young Picador) [Paperback]

Lori Aurelia Williams (Author)

Book Description

Series: Young Picador | Publication Date: April 2, 2004

Shayla lives with her mother and her teenage sister, Tia, in a poor, rough area of Houston. While Tia, to her mother's distress, has taken up with a local boy who is none-to-bright, Shayla becomes friends with Kambia Elaine, the strange girl who has moved in next door.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Kambia Elaine has told Shayla how afraid she is of the Wallpaper Wolves. "They live in the wallpaper... they have five-inch fangs, fiery red eyes, purple horns, long sharp claws, and spiky gray fur... they whisper horrible, nasty things in your ear... then they make you do them." Kambia is Shayla's next door neighbor and friend, but Shayla doesn't have the time to listen to Kambia's fanciful imaginings about Memory Beetles, Lizard People, or even the fearful Wallpaper Wolves. She has her own trouble brewing at home. Between her older sister Tia running away after a heated argument with their mother, and her no-good father, Mr. Anderson Fox, nosing around the neighborhood, Shayla has her hands full. But she's noticed the real bruises and blood on Kambia's legs that come from the fictitious Wallpaper Wolves, and knows that, despite her own problems, she has to get to the bottom of Kambia's dark imagination and find the truth behind her stories. When Kambia begs her not to tell anyone about her injuries, Shayla has to make some hard decisions about the differences between telling the truth and protecting a friend.

First-time author Lori Aurelia Williams has written a novel that eloquently ties together the importance of family, the power of imagination, and the simple strength of innocence. Although Williams takes her time telling this sweetly sad tale, teens will be so caught up in Kambia's creative imagination and Shayla's strong voice that they will quickly move through its 200-plus pages. (Ages 12 to 18) --Jennifer Hubert --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

With words that often read more like poetry than prose, first-time novelist Williams creates a complex coming-of-age story that packs an emotional wallop. Her intelligent and tender narrator, Shayla, a 12-year-old African-American growing up in Houston, has much fodder for her writing notebooks. Her older sister Tia, on the brink of womanhood, reaches a standoff with her mother over her wish to see Doo-witty, an older boy whom the town deems "slow" ("Silence is clinging to our house like vines on a fence," writes Shayla). Kambia, a neglected girl with a wild imagination, moves in next door, telling Shayla stories about her fear of the Wallpaper Wolves who live in her house, and Memory Beetles that carry people's good memories in their chubby bodies. At first, her frail neighbor's stories annoy Shayla, but as the details grow more vivid and viscous, Shayla begins to decipher their deeper meaning. Through Williams's eloquent, metaphorical approach, she protects readers from the grim realities of what goes on inside Kambia's house without underplaying their harmful effects. When Kambia finally winds up in the hospital, Shayla grows up fast, learning that sometimes to be a good friend to someone, you have to spill her secrets. As Shayla stands by Kambia's side, she learns the strength of unconditional love--a message Williams further demonstrates as Tia and her mother struggle to make peace. While this is intense material, Williams handles it sensitively; she is a writer to watch. Ages 12-up. (Apr.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Pan Childrens (April 2, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0330398393
• ISBN-13: 978-0330398398
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,079,692 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AN AFFECTING READING, January 16, 2001

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: When Kambia Elaine Flew in from Neptune (Hardcover)

It's seldom that a story bridges the ever widening generation gap, but "When Kambia Elaine Flew In From Neptune" surely does. This chronicle of love and friendship will appeal to both teenagers and adults, especially in its unabridged audio form affectingly read by Heather Alicia Simms.

The author has said that she grew up poor in a neighborhood where children were "seen but not heard," so does her protagonist, Shayla Dubois who lives with her fractured family in other side of the tracks Houston, Texas. Shayla's sister has been ousted for carrying on with an older man, and her absent father has suddenly returned to town.

To complicate matters further, Shayla has a unique new neighbor - Kambia who tells absurd tales about Lizard People who turn into purple chewing gum, reports that she is a piece of driftwood from the Mississippi River, and more.

Shayla well knows that something is amiss, but what can she possibly do?

Heather Alicia Simms's performance is in perfect harmony with the author's use of African-American lore and street patois.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a debut!, February 8, 2001

By 

demimonde (Windsor, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: When Kambia Elaine Flew in from Neptune (Hardcover)

When Kambia Elaine Flew in From Neptune is by far one of the best YA novels I've read in a long time. It's hard to believe this is the author's first book. Lori Aurelia Williams writes with the confidence of a seasoned novelist and has an amazing talent for putting the confusion of adolescence into words. She handles some fairly touchy topics (teen sexuality, child abuse, prostitution) with grace and sensitivity but always head-on and with incredible honesty. Readers will be drawn into the lives of Shayla, her family, and her enigmatic neighbor Kambia Elaine from the very first page. I highly recommend this book for both teens and adults alike. Because of some sensitive subject matter, parents of younger readers may need to decide whether their children are ready for a look at these issues. If in doubt, why not read When Kambia Elaine Flew in From Neptune with your teen - it's a great way to broach some otherwise difficult (but necessary) conversations.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars When Kambia Elaine Flew In From Neptune, June 27, 2000

By 

Carla Grace Roberson (Round Rock, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: When Kambia Elaine Flew in from Neptune (Hardcover)

I LOVED this book. Lori was sensitive, imaginative and completely entertaining in her depiction of Shayla, Kambia and my favorite Mr. Anderson Fox. I have encouraged people to read it since I left the book sigining. It is a beautifully told story of family, friendship, inagination, life and heartache. Everyone should read it, the book contains elements for everyone. Well done Lori! I can't wait for the sequel!