An extraordinary tale of two teenagers who were never meant to be friends, this page-turner transports readers to a bustling market in Ghana's capital city where one friendship transforms two lives. When Faiza, a migrant girl from northern Ghana, and Abena, a wealthy doctor's daughter from the south meet by chance in Accra's largest market where Faiza works as a porter, or kaya girl, they strike up an unlikely and powerful friendship that transcends their social inequities and opens up new worlds to them both. Set against a backdrop of class disparity in Ghana, The Kaya Girl explores how two teenage lives are indelibly impacted by a barrier-defying friendship. This gorgeously transporting work offers vivid insight into two strikingly diverse young lives in Ghana.

In 1764, when Kaya and her family reunite with other Nez Perce Indians to fish for the red salmon, she learns that bragging, even about her swift horse, can lead to trouble. American Girls Collection/Kaya #1.

When her bragging earns her an unflattering nickname around her Nez Perce camp, Kaya desperately tries to lose it and gain the respect of a young warrior woman named Swan Circling.

Presents a collection of stories about the life and times of Kaya, a Nez Perce girl.

When her bragging earns her a nickname around her Nez Perce camp, Kaya desperately tries to lose it and gain the respect of a young warrior woman named Swan Circling.

"What if you suddenly found yourself in Kaya's Nez Perce homeland in 1764? Your journey back in time can take whatever twists and turns you choose as you select from a variety of options in this all-new multiple-ending story"--

Kaya is troubled by a terrible nickname. Her friends call her "Magpie," after an untrustworthy bird that thinks only of itself. Kaya earned her nickname because her little twin brothers wandered off when they were in her care-while Kaya competed in a daring bareback horse race. Although Kaya finds the boys safe, she still must face a punishment. All her friends must, too, since one person's actions affect everyone's safety. The sting of the switch hurts less than the sting of her friends' teasing. A nickname is a strict teacher, and Kaya is fiercely determined to become a better person, one who thinks of others before herself-a girl no one will ever call "Magpie" again. Book jacket.

Feeling lonesome and missing her sister and her horse who were captured by enemy raiders, Kaya befriends a dog that has wandered near camp. Although others warn her not to trust the animal, Kaya senses something different.

Original publication and copyright date: 2005.