Alexander McCall Smith, illustrated by LeUyen Pham
Akimbo and the Baboons
Alfred Knopf Canada, 2008

Rating: E*

Bestselling novelist Alexander McCall Smith brings the thrills and majesty of Africa to life in this fiction adventure featuring two young boys cousins - one from the country and one from the city. After the thrilling story, young readers will have learned about baboons and Africa without having done any homework study - always a bonus! The end of the book has a "Did you Know" short section. This title is tailor made for young boys.

Thematic Links: Africa; Baboons

Eva Wilson
Vol. 14, number 3
February 2009

*Rating System:
E - Excellent, enduring, everyone should see it!
G - Good, even great at times, generally useful!
A - Average, all right, has its applications.
P - Problematic, puzzling, poorly presented.