• Grade: 4 to 7

Mella lives in the long-ago time when the place we now call Zimbabwe was known as the Land of the People. Within the great hilltop town of Mopopoto. Mella's beloved father, the King, lies gravely ill. Beyond the high stone walls, the land has been overcome by drought and unrest grows between the warrior tribes of the kingdom. Senior sister, one of the wisest elders in the town, has taught Mella the forbidden song that will call the Great N'anga, a strange and powerful figure who is viewed with suspicion by most townspeople. Mella learns from the N'anga that the only way to restore her father's health is to seek out the much-feared Python Healer, a perilous journey that few would undertake. When Mella's brother, the warrior Dikita, fails to bring back the Python Healer, Mella knows there is only one thing to do: she must face the Python Healer herself. In this tale of courage and wisdom, Gail Nyoka brings to life a mythic time and gives us a fascinating glimpse of society in ancient Africa.

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Mella and the N’anga: An African Tale

In this retelling of a legend, Gail Nyoka has managed that difficult feat of evoking an earlier time without long explanations that stall the action.

Recently shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Awards (Children’s Literature, text category), Mella and the N’anga is a rich and complex story, neatly and clearly told. Mella, the daughter of a king in long-ago Zimbabwe, struggles with the conflict between her own wishes and the social expectations on a girl and a king’s daughter. Overlying this is a graver trouble – the illness of her beloved father, and the drought and famine facing the people.

While “coming-of-age” is an overused phrase in describing young adult literature, it definitely applies here. Mella finds that solutions are not as easy as one might hope, that it is not always possible to hand over responsibility to another, and that hard work is as important as special knowledge. She and her friends learn, too, that it is possible to follow their own path while remaining true to the values of their people. Her journey from intelligent child to responsible young woman has an archetypal quality, and is also beautifully readable.

Mella and the N’anga: An African Tale

In this tale of courage and wisdom, Nyoka brings to life a mythic time in Africa. Mella, the King’s daughter, takes a perilous journey in order to save her father and the townspeople.