2012 First Place Burt Award for African Young Adult Literature Finalist

“I’m Abena,” I said in Twi.

“I’m Faiza,” she said in a language I would soon find out was called Dagbanli.”

An accidental meeting in Accra’s bustling Makola market makes an impact that is to affect the destinies of two extraordinary young women. For Abena, the open-minded girl from a comfortable family, the meeting is an opportunity to learn about the culture of the other girl and to appreciate the dignity that we often fail to see in the lives of the underprivileged of our country. For Faiza, the eponymous Kaya girl, the encounter with the richer girl is to provide a joyful adventure in her otherwise harsh existence and provided the inspiration that will transform her life.

The Kaya-Girl is a wonderful story, told with warm humor, about two young and confident people from vastly different Ghanaian worlds.