Saba: Under the Hyena's Foot (Girls of Many Lands) [Hardcover]

Jane Kurtz (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-Kurtz admirably offers readers the story of a young girl first and the historical details and political intrigue of Ethiopia in 1846 second. Saba is a simple country girl, living with her brother and overly protective grandmother. Suspense builds as the children disobediently venture out of their home. Kidnapped and taken to a faraway palace, Saba is confused, but by paying close attention to details, she is able to make sense of events. Her lack of understanding of the ways of the court gradually turns into an awareness of a severe, albeit camouflaged, threat to herself and her brother. Politics is at the heart of the story and complicated family relationships at the heart of the dilemma. Kurtz keeps the pages turning as she reveals Saba and her brother's place in the emperor's line. A descendant of the biblical Queen of Sheba, clever and resourceful Saba is determined to save not just herself, but her brother as well. It's gratifying that a title this well written and culturally sensitive is now available since there are so few good novels about Africa, and especially Ethiopia, that provide a sense of the rich history in that part of the world.
Carol A. Edwards, Sonoma County Library, Santa Rosa, CA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-8. In nineteenth-century Ethiopia, 12-year-old Saba and her brother, Mesfin, are kidnapped from their grandmother's remote home and brought to the capital, where Saba discovers her true royal identity. Saba delights in the opulence of court life until she discovers the political treachery that threatens Mesfin's life and her own freedom. Kurtz includes a great deal of Ethiopian history, which, though fascinating, slows the story with its complexity and may overwhelm at times. The frequent aphorisms ("When lions and elephants fight, it is the mice who must tremble," for example) may also challenge some readers. But as in her other titles set in Africa, such as The Storyteller's Beads (1998), Kurtz creates a powerful sense of place with cultural and sensory details, and Saba's strong first-person voice and brave adventures will hook many readers. As with other titles in the Girls of Many Lands series, this concludes with a chapter of background history and culture, a glossary, and an author's note. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 207 pages
• Publisher: American Girl (September 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158485829X
• ISBN-13: 978-1584858294
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #586,710 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #31 in Books > Children's Books > Literature & Fiction > Historical Fiction > Africa

More About the Author

Jane Kurtz was born in Portland, Oregon, but when she was two years old, her parents decided to move to Ethiopia, where she spent most of her childhood. She didn't live in the United States for more than a couple of year-long visits (in Boise and Pasadena) until she started college, feeling like an awkward outsider. Her books set in Ethiopia have helped her give glimpses into the land of her childhood.

Now Jane speaks about being an author at schools and conferences--in all but eleven of the United States, so far, and such places as Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya, France, Germany, Romania, England, Indonesia, Cambodia, the Philippines, and Japan. Her travels have put her in touch with all kinds of kids who are changing the world, one kid at a time, something her idealistic parents made her also want to do. Thus she helped start Ethiopia Reads (www.ethiopiareads.org), a nonprofit that is planting the first libraries for children in Ethiopia.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the few great books about African culture!, October 28, 2003

By 

hiphopgirl_1000 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Saba: Under the Hyena's Foot (Girls of Many Lands) (Paperback)

Twelve-year-old Saba is a regular girl living in the country of Ethopia in 1846. Like any regular girl she has a brother, Mesfin, and a strict grandmother whom she adores greatly. Everything is well for her until she and her brother disobey and venture out of their home, where they are kidnapped and brought to the royal palace. It is there that Saba finally learns of her true identity. At first, Saba, keenly unaware of the dangers of the court, can only delight in her new found surroundings. Unfortuantely, innocence can not last forever, and she learns of a deadly threat to her and her brother...one that threatens their very lives and freedom. Yet, Saba is determined to use her wits to save her and her brother from the treacherous inner working of the court.

I was very much fascinated with this book for it was one of the very few books that talks about the Ethopia royal family in any great detail. Saba is a strong first-person narrator and you will enjoy her way of expressing herself. A definite must-read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars no title, September 22, 2008

By 

book lvr - See all my reviews

This review is from: Saba: Under the Hyena's Foot (Girls of Many Lands) (Paperback)

The theme of this book is many things. The book starts out where she's from and her family, giving a backgorund of the character. Then it fades into her being kidnapped and trying to figure out how to get home. After that, she finds out that she's really part of a royal family. I'm not going to give away the ending, though.
The main character's name is, as the title states, Saba. She lives in Ethiopia with her grandmother and her brother in the woods. Saba is, at first, trying to figure out why they never go into town and why they are so secluded. Then she is trying to figure out why her grandmother never told her that she is really part of a royal family. After that, she learns the hard way why nobody ever told her that she was part of a royal family.
Some of the other characters are her grandmother and her brother. Her grandpa, who died, and her parents, who she was told were dead. Later many more characters are added.
This book is set in eighteen hundred, forty-six Ethiopia. The geography was rocky, mountainous and very hilly. In this time period, Ethiopia is in the midlle of a war.
There isn't really a major problem in this story. Actually there are just a bunch of smaller problems. First, when she's kidnapped it's how to get home. Then when she's at the palace, closer to the end, it's how to get out of there before she's married off!
Like I said, the first problem is her being kidnapped. As to her really getting home, that isn't really accomplished in this book. As to the second problem I stated, she is helped by the many friends she's made at the palace to escape the grounds. Once she leaves the palace, she rescues her brother and they start to leave, which is where the book leaves off.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book, May 22, 2009

By 

Veronica P. Garrett - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Saba: Under the Hyena's Foot (Girls of Many Lands) (Hardcover)

This book was a little confusing to me, but I still liked it. It's about this African girl who was kidnapped along with her brother, and taken to a palace, where she learns a big family secret.