Kabungo

Gr 2–5—Beverly's best friend is 10-year-old Kabungo, an uncivilized girl who lives in a cave on Main Street in Star City. Through a series of slice-of-life episodes, including pumpkin-picking, visiting the circus, and experiencing a thunderstorm, Beverly tries to teach Kabungo about life in her community. Although it is meant to be humorous, the novel is mostly confounding. There is no explanation as to why Kabungo lives in a cave, how Beverly and Kabungo came to be friends, or why no adult in Star City is concerned with the fact that a 10-year-old is living alone in a cave, though grown-ups are aware of Kabungo's existence. The last of these is particularly alarming, as Kabungo can barely speak English, is illiterate, is surrounded by filth (she is even described as having fleas), and is missing several teeth due to her unfortunate, unhygienic lifestyle. Neither Beverly nor Kabungo seem like authentic kids or genuine friends, as Beverly, who provides the first-person narration, often comes off too mature in her supervisory role and Kabungo, with her limited vocabulary and wild personality, seems much younger than her age. While there are a few clever bits to be found, such as Kabungo thinking her family tree is an actual tree, young readers would be better served reading Maryrose Wood's series "The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place" (HarperCollins) if they are interested in stories about feral children.