The Cinnamon Tree: A Novel Set in Africa - Softcover

Flegg, Aubrey

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0862786576 ISBN 13: 9780862786571

Publisher: The O'Brien Press, 2000

Synopsis

Yola's leg is blown off by a landmine and her life in Africa is changed forever. When Yola travels to Ireland to be fitted with an artificial leg and meets seventeen-year-old Fintan, she little realizes that they will soon be involved in an international arms intrigue, and an adventure that will bring them both close to death.

About this title

About the Author:

Aubrey Flegg is a geologist and the author of Katie's War.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 7 Up-It is under the cinnamon tree near her home in a village that Yola's life is forever changed when a landmine explodes under her. She survives, but loses a leg in the blast. The 13-year-old is approached by an organization that arranges for her to go to a hospital in Ireland to get a prosthetic leg, and she stays there for a year to attend school. It is not until Yola returns home, though, that she is truly challenged-she begins working to educate her people about the dangers of landmines and soon finds herself caught in the middle of an arms-smuggling scheme. Yola is a strong, likable character, but despite this, and the story's unique subject matter, it is unlikely that many teens will gravitate to this book. It does succeed in making known both the prevalence of landmines in Africa and the efforts to remove them. However, it is just too complicated. Yola's fictional homeland, the struggles of her people, her relationship with a young man from Dublin, and her cousin's transformation into a child soldier all overburden the main plot. This noble effort unfortunately falls short.
Kimberly L. Paone, Elizabeth Public Library, NJ
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: The O'Brien Press
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0862786576
• ISBN 13: 9780862786571
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 208