Jennifer J. Stewart

12 year old Annie Ferris is not too excited about traveling to Nepal with parents and little sister, Chelsea, to help run a medical mission for two months. However, once they arrive, Annie meets a local girl, Nirmala, and both girls help out at the clinic – Nirmala as a translator, and Annie helping usher patients in after deciding who gets priority in their treatment. While in Nepal, Annie learns lots of things and has many adventures in the two months that they are there. She learns that boys are valued more than girls because it is only boys who can inherit land and houses, she learns what life is like in a country without electricity and clean water, and she has several adventures in the two months that they are there, including being lost in a forest overnight, and being attacked by a water buffalo and a wild dog. A easy read, this book is suitable for junior grade students interested in knowing a bit more about life in another country.… (mere)