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Books From Around the World (YA): AfricaUnpublished

It’s often interesting to get a different perspective on the world. Here are some books set in some far-flung places – and some places close to home – grouped by continent/large body of water with islands in it. The books on this list are (mostly) written by authors from the countries they are about, and in many cases have been translated into English from their mother tongues (the book we’ve chosen for Madagascar, Return to the enchanted island by Johary Ravaloson, is only the second book to have ever been translated from Malagasy into English!).

Not all of the books are in the Young Adult collection, but we’ve tried to make sure that they all at least feature kids or teens in prominent places in the story. Our eventual goal is to have at least one book for every country in the world! Help us out by sending in recommendations if you’ve found one we’ve missed!

This list contains books written by authors from Africa. Check out our lists for authors from Asia, Europe, North and Central America, Oceania, and South America for even more recommendations!

Updated June 19, 2024

Wellington City LibrariesYouth team at Wellington City Libraries

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The stranger

Camus, Albert

Paper Book

Algeria | Algerian-French author

My friends : a novel

Matar, Hisham

Paper Book

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST * LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE * A "masterly" (The New York Times, Editors' Choice), "riveting" (The Atlantic) novel of friendship, family, and the unthinkable realities of exile, from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Return ...

Libya | Libyan-British author

Twenty chickens for a saddle : the story of an African childhood

Scott, Robyn.

Paper Book

A glorious new voice on Africa, Robyn Scott's adventures growing up in Botswana in a loving but eccentric family will be one of the season's most talked-about memoirsRobyn Scott's story of moving at the age of seven to Botswana with her adventure-seeking parents is described by Alexander...

Botswana | Author is a New Zealander who grew up in Botswana

Petit pays : roman

Faye, Gae?l

Paper Book

Already an international sensation and prize-winning bestseller in France, an evocative coming-of-age story of a young boy, a lost childhood and a shattered homeland. SHORTLISTED FOR THE ALBERTINE PRIZE * NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY ESQUIRE<...

Burundi | Burundian author

Behold the dreamers : a novel

Mbue, Imbolo

Paper Book

A compulsively readable debut novel about marriage, immigration, class, race, and the trapdoors in the American Dream--the unforgettable story of a young Cameroonian couple making a new life in New York just as the Great Recession upends the economy New York Times ...

Cameroon | Cameroonian-American author

Akissi : tales of mischief

Abouet, Marguerite

Paper Book

"utterly unputdownable"--The New York Times A Kirkus Best Book of 2018, Akissi: Tales of Mischief brings together the first volume of the hilarious and heartfelt Akissi comics by Marguerite Abouet, the award winning author of Aya of Yop City.

Cote d'Ivoire | Ivorian author

Alpha : Abidjan to Gare du Nord

Bessora

Paper Book

Doctors Without Borders Prize PEN Promotes Award GLLI (Global Literature in Libraries Initiative) Translated YA Book Prize Shortlist CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal Longlist Library Journal "Best Book of the Year" selection School Library Journal "Best Adult...

Cote d'Ivoire | Gabonese-Belgian author writing about an Ivorian man migrating to find his family in France

City of saints & thieves

Anderson, Natalie C

Paper Book

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo meets Gone Girl in this enthralling murder mystery set in Kenya. In the shadows of Sangui City, there lives a girl who doesn't exist. After fleeing the Congo as refugees, Tina and her mother arrived in Kenya looking for the...

Democratic Republic of the Congo | American author writing a story with a Congolese protagonist based on extensive work with Congolese refugees in Nairobi, Kenya. Read more about the author's approach on the Invisible Children blog.

The shadow king

Mengiste, Maaza

Paper Book

With the threat of Mussolini's army looming, recently orphaned Hirut struggles to adapt to her new life as a maid in Kidane and his wife Aster's household. Kidane, an officer in Emperor Haile Selassie's army, rushes to mobilize his strongest men before the Italians invade. His initial kindness to...

Ethiopia | Ethiopian-American author

All our names

Mengestu, Dinaw

Ebook

From acclaimed author Dinaw Mengestu, a recipient of the National Book Foundation's 5 Under 35 award, The New Yorker's 20 Under 40 award, and a 2012 MacArthur Foundation genius grant, comes an unforgettable love story about a searing affair between an American woman and an African man...

Ethiopia | Ethiopian-American author

The perfect nine : the epic of Gi?ku?yu? and Mu?mbi

Ngu?gi? wa Thiong?o

Paper Book

A dazzling, genre-defying novel in verse from the author Delia Owens says "tackles the absurdities, injustices, and corruption of a continent" Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o's novels and memoirs have received glowing praise from the likes of President Barack Obama, the New Yorker, the New...

Kenya | Kenyan author

She would be king : a novel

Moore, Waye?tu

Audiobook

Sarah Jessica Parker and the American Library Association Book Club Central Official Selection A novel of exhilarating range, magical realism, and history―a dazzling retelling of Liberia's formation Wayétu Moore's powerful debut novel, She Would Be King,...

Liberia | Liberian author

The boy who harnessed the wind : creating currents of electricity and hope

Kamkwamba, William

Paper Book

Now a Netflix Film, Starring and Directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor of 12 Years a Slave William Kamkwamba was born in Malawi, a country where magic ruled and modern science was mystery. It was also a land withered by drought and hunger. But William had read about windmills, and he dreamed of...

Malawi | Malawian author

Say you're one of them

Akpan, Uwem.

Paper Book

Uwem Akpan's stunning stories humanize theperils of poverty and violence so piercingly that few readers will feel they've ever encountered Africa so immediately. The eight-year-old narrator of "An Ex-Mas Feast" needs only enough money to buy books and pay feesin order to attend school. Even...

Nigeria | Nigerian author (Annang)

Akata witch

Okorafor, Nnedi.

Paper Book

Affectionately dubbed "the Nigerian Harry Potter," Akata Witch weaves together a heart-pounding tale of magic, mystery, and finding one's place in the world. Perfect for fans of Children of Blood and Bone! Sunny Nwazue lives in Nigeria, but she was born in New York...

Nigeria | Nigerian-American author

Things fall apart

Achebe, Chinua.

Paper Book

The most widely read book in modern African literature tells two overlapping, intertwining stories, both of which center around a fearless Igbo warrior in Nigeria in the late 1800s, before and after the European colonization of the continent. "African literature is...

Nigeria | Nigerian author (Igbo)

A long way gone : memoirs of a boy soldier

Beah, Ishmael

Paper Book

In A Long Way Gone, Ishmael Beah tells a riveting story: how at the age of twelve, he fled attacking rebels and wandered a land rendered unrecognizable by violence. By thirteen, he'd been picked up by the government army, and Beah, at heart a gentle boy, found that he was capable of...

Sierra Leone | Sierra Leonean author

Born a crime : stories from a South African childhood

Noah, Trevor

Paper Book

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * More than one million copies sold! A "brilliant" (Lupita Nyong'o, Time), "poignant" (Entertainment Weekly), "soul-nourishing" (USA Today) memoir about coming of age during the twilight of apartheid

South Africa | South African author (Coloured, Xhosa)

Home is not a country

Elhillo, Safia

Paper Book

LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD "Nothing short of magic." --Elizabeth Acevedo, New York Times bestselling author of The Poet X From the acclaimed poet featured on Forbes Africa's "30 Under 30" list, this...

Sudan | Sudanese-American author

The Old Drift : a novel

Serpell, Namwali

Paper Book

"A dazzling debut, establishing Namwali Serpell as a writer on the world stage."--Salman Rushdie, The New York Times Book Review NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Dwight Garner, The New York Times * The New York Times Book Review *...

Zambia | Zambian-American author

Hope is our only wing

Tavengerwei, Rutendo

Paper Book

Set in Zimbabwe, Rutendo Tavengerwei's unforgettable novel offers a beautiful and honest look at adolescence, friendship, and the capacity for courage. For fifteen-year-old Shamiso, hope is nothing but a leap into darkness. Grief-stricken and confused after her father's...

Zimbabwe | Zimbabwean author

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Books From Around the World (YA): AfricaUnpublishedShare

Books From Around the World (YA): AfricaUnpublished