Notable Authors: Nancy Farmer

I discovered Nancy Farmer in my Children's Literature college course.  The Ear, The Eye and the Arm was on the book list for the course so I picked it up after hearing how great it was from one of my classmate's book talks.

I encourage you to go to Nancy Farmer's website and read her bio.  She spent a great deal of time in Africa so many of her early books are set there.  She also has dyslexia.  Her first book published in the United States, Do You Know Me, won her $20,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts.  She has also won Newbery Honors for The Ear, The Eye and the Arm (1995), A Girl Named Disaster (1997), and The House of the Scorpion (2003).  I feel she was a bit "robbed" in the Newbery category because I feel all three books are deserving of the medal.  Oh, well.

One of the things I love about this author is that each of her books is uniquely different.  You can also tell that she has researched the subjects that she writes about because she uses a lot of details and often has a list of sources that she used for the book.


Do You Know Me
Plot: Uncle Zeka comes to live with Tapiwa and her family after his village is destroyed and has a strange way of doing things.
My rating: 4 stars


The Ear, The Eye and the Arm
1995 Newbery Honor Book
Plot: In futuristic Zimbabwe, General Mitzika's children are kidnapped by She Elephant when the leave the house and The Ear, The Eye and the Arm are hired to find them.
My rating: 4 stars


The Warm Place


A Girl Named Disaster
1997 Newbery Honor Book
Plot: Nhamo runs away from home to escape a forced marriage.
My rating: 4 stars


The House of the Scorpion
2003 Newbery Honor Book
Series: Matteo Alacran #1
Plot: Matteo is the clone of El Patron, a powerful drug lord.  When he is discovered by the other children, he is sent to live in the big mansion with El Patron.
My rating: 5 stars


The Lord of Opium
Series: Matteo Alacran #2


The Sea of Trolls
Series: Sea of Trolls #1
Plot: Jack and his sister Lucy are kidnapped by Vikings in post-Roman Britian.
My rating: 3 stars


The Land of Silver Apples
Series: Sea of Trolls #2
Plot: Jack goes on a journey with several companions after the Need Fire ceremony goes wrong.
My rating: 4 stars


The Islands of the Blessed
Series: Sea of Trolls #3
Plot: Jack, Thorgil, the Bard and the Tanners return to Bebba's Town
My rating: 4 stars