When Kambia Elaine Flew in from Neptune

Rating:
Summary: The secrets of Shayla and Kambia
Review: "When Kambia Elaine flew in from Neptune" is about a girl named Shayla Dubois who happens to run into her very strange new neighbor at the bus stop and ends up having a conversation with her. After meeting a second time Shayla and Kambia decided to walk to school together which makes them even closer. As they walk to school everyday together they become closer and closer each day and feel comfortable enough to tell each other what is troubling them. Shayla is living in a house full of angry women with her mom and her sister Tia is always at it and her grandmother butting in all the time doesn't help. But to top it all off, her father, who she hasn't seen in a really long time, is trying to make his way back into the family. All these problem add up and are making Shayla a bit stressed and the only one she can turn to for all this is Kambia. As for Kambia she is not so well off when it comes to her family as well. Her mother is a prostitute and she is being molested. Yet Kambia has a way of expressing her feelings without putting her self out there in the open to get hurt. She tells stories of wallpaper wolves and how they often hurt her. Both girls are living in unstable families and find a bond and sense of sisterhood with one another because they can trust each other and are always there for the other person through out their struggles.
This book is a very interesting because it is not just fiction it has a sense of reality to it because it does actually happen to people. I do recommend this book to others because truthfully I usually do not finish an entire book and actually did this time. It's really good and you should read it!

Rating:
Summary: Too good to be missed.
Review: In WHEN KAMBIA ELAINE FLEW IN FROM NEPTUNE, first-time novelist Lori Aurelia Williams fashions a contemporary, coming-of-age tale as beautiful as it is difficult. Her narrator, 12-year-old Shayla Dubois, an aspiring writer with a gift for language, fills her blue notebooks with the observations and emotions ("Tia's nature is boiling out of her like a hot soup out of a pot") she isn't allowed to express --- as children should be seen and not heard.

In parallel plot-lines, Williams explores Shayla's sister Tia's blossoming sexuality and the tension it causes, as well as Shayla's budding friendship with Kambia --- a girl with a far-out imagination who moves in next door with her no-good mother. Hoping to prevent Tia from making the same mistake she did, Shayla's mama puts Tia out of the house when she discovers she is sexually involved with the town dumbbell, Doo-Witty.

Meanwhile, Kambia is filling Shayla's head with stories of Wallpaper Wolves that come to her in the night, Memory Beetles that store good memories in their chubby bodies, and Lizard People that turn into purple chewing gum. At first, Kambia's strange tales and antics annoy the usually word-loving Shayla, but when she accidentally sees Kambia's bruised and bloodied thighs, it dawns on her that something dangerous is lurking in her tortured tales. But when Kambia begs Shayla not to tell anyone about her injuries, Shayla learns, with the help of her wise and opinionated Grandmother Augustine, that sometimes you have to break a promise to protect a friend.

Williams's utterly original and metaphorical treatment of Kambia's sexual abuse, along with her tender handling of Tia's deepening relationship with herself and the seemingly dumb, yet gifted Doo-Witty, combine to create an engaging, original story too good to be missed.

(...)



Rating:
Summary: Two thumbs up for Lori Williams
Review: It's hard to believe that this is Lori Williams's first novel. She wrote it with such poetic ease that it seems like the characters jump off the pages. She keeps you reading on because the plot is so vivid, you seem like you are there, living the actual events. There is such a message of family bond weaved into the book, it's hard to describe.
The character Kambia sends the message that, your imagination is beautiful thing. The stories that she told were so complex, but it was her way of calling for help. The friendship between Kambia and Shayla reminds all of us girls about our relationship with our best friend. About how we would keep their secrets until the very, very end.
This is a novel about friendship, love, family, sisterhood, and promises. It's suspenseful, and very engaging. Lori keeps you guessing until the very end. I give Lori BIG props for this being her first novel, and I assume the sequel is just as fantastic.

Rating:
Summary: Two thumbs up for Lori Williams
Review: It???s hard to believe that this is Lori Williams???s first novel. She wrote it with such poetic ease that it seems like the characters jump off the pages. She keeps you reading on because the plot is so vivid, you seem like you are there, living the actual events. There is such a message of family bond weaved into the book, it???s hard to describe.
The character Kambia sends the message that, your imagination is beautiful thing. The stories that she told were so complex, but it was her way of calling for help. The friendship between Kambia and Shayla reminds all of us girls about our relationship with our best friend. About how we would keep their secrets until the very, very end.
This is a novel about friendship, love, family, sisterhood, and promises. It???s suspenseful, and very engaging. Lori keeps you guessing until the very end. I give Lori BIG props for this being her first novel, and I assume the sequel is just as fantastic.

Rating:
Summary: The Dark Secret of Kambia Elaine.
Review: Shayla Dubois thought Kambia Elaine was the weirdest and homeliest looking girl when she first saw and met her for the first time. All of that changes when the two strangers start walking to school together everyday. That's when Kambia starts telling Shayla her tale of the wallpaper wolves and how they mistreat her. Then a problem in Shayla's family stirs up emotions between Shayla and Kambia and now they are a lot closer.
In this capturing book, When Kambia Elaine Flew in From Neptune by Lori Aurellia Williams, Shayla and Kambia slowly become best friends by Kambia telling Shayla her stories and tales and Shayla soaks it all up as if there isn't anything better in the whole world. When Kambia finishes her stories, Shayla thinks they are childish and silly. Even though Shayla thinks that they are really silly, she can't get enough of those stories. She wants to hear more and more. One day, Kambia is found hiding underneath her house and Shayla goes over to Kambia's house, right next to her's, to see why she's under there. Kambia tells Shayla the most absurd thing she's ever heard that the wallpaper wolves are after her and they want to hurt her.
After this event they keep growing closer and closer still because now Shayla can tell Kambia her inner most dark secrets. This helps because there is a problem in Shayla's family and Kambia is the only one Shayla can turn to for help.
This suspensful, capturing book keeps you hooked right from the start and you can't or don't want to put the book down. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes to be at the edge of thier seats and who likes happy endings.

Rating:
Summary: Great book!
Review: The main character in this book is a twelve-year-old girl named Shayla who lives with her mother and older sister Tia in a poor neighborhood in a big city in Texas. When Kambia Elaine, a skinny, red haired girl who makes up strange stories and claims to be things she's not, moves in next door to Shayla, they become friends. Shayla's sister Tia runs away from home, and Shayla discovers there is something really wrong with Kambia. This is a really great book, I definetely reccomend it!

Rating:
Summary: The Dark Secret of Kambia Elaine.
Review: When Kambia Elaine Flew in from Neptune... got this from my cousin's collection. She loves the meaning and the simplisitc metaphors, but unfortunately I find it rather slow-moving and overdone. Okay, so we have one girl being molested, one runaway and on "good" kid.

Kambia Elaine is the new girl in town, her mother is a prostitute anf=d her father abandonned them several years ago. With her wild, almost childish tales (though most have that inner meaning thingie) Kambia Elaine's character keeps the story moving. But as things focus more on Shayla, Tia, and their mother and grandmother, it takes strong motivation just to get the next chapter.

Worth skimming, but not a favorite.

Rating:
Summary: Hardley Freshman
Review: When Kambia Elaine flew in from Nepturne is one of the best books for YAs that I have read in a long time. It is hard to believe that this is the first novel by Lori Aurelia Williams. Her frequent use of similes and metaphors enhance her writing and make her characters truly come alive. The book sends a strong message about the consequences of keeping silent about sexual child abuse. The bonds of family and friendship are strong and keep the reader eager to read on. As a school librarian and as a parent of junior high school children, I highly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: Great book for YA readers and educators
Review: When Kambia Elaine flew in from Nepturne is one of the best books for YAs that I have read in a long time. It is hard to believe that this is the first novel by Lori Aurelia Williams. Her frequent use of similes and metaphors enhance her writing and make her characters truly come alive. The book sends a strong message about the consequences of keeping silent about sexual child abuse. The bonds of family and friendship are strong and keep the reader eager to read on. As a school librarian and as a parent of junior high school children, I highly recommend this book.