JANU, Tamsin Figgy in the World Omnibus, 2014 183pp $15.99 pbk ISBN 9781742990453 SCIS 1661104
Figgy, accompanied by her pet goat, sets off from her village in Ghana, West Africa, for America. Once she is there, she plans to visit a bank to borrow money to buy her grandmother lifesaving medicine. She does this without any understanding that she needs to know the name of the medicine and the type of illness her grandmother has and that you cannot get to America from Africa merely by walking and catching buses. Throughout her journey, she meets a number of people, both kind and unkind, and gains a much better understanding of the world.
Figgy in the World is a wonderful story about courage, naivety, family, friendship, resilience and a child’s determination. It also provides a fascinating insight into African culture. Janu lived in Ghana for three months working at a school and an orphanage. Suitable for children aged 8-12 years but older children and adults will enjoy the tale too. I did.
reviewed by Katy Gerner