• Age group – 9+ years

• Author – William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer

• Genre – Biography

• Published by – Rocky Pond Books

• Available on Amazon – Click to purchase from Amazon

This is one of those books that my child and I do not see eye to eye on! I love it and she still doesn’t. Although I am quite convinced that she will eventually. I will recommend this read to all children – to know that they must dream big. Dream big not just for themselves but also for the people around them. Lack of resources is just a small hiccup in the process to achieve one’s dreams if one is persistent.

This book is written by the author in first person as a recollection of his growing up days. Young William grows up in a poor village in Africa where people believe in magic and potions for medicine. He is however, fascinated with science and along with friend, begins repairing the broken radios from his garage. He gets his hands on all possible science books from the old village library. The books allow him to be mostly self-taught about the foundational scientific concepts. When a terrible drought hits his village, livelihoods of all the farmers is at risk.

Before the drought hit, William had seen a small generator attached to the pedals of a bicycle that could generate enough electricity to power up the small light attached to the handle bars. With this in mind, he comes up with the brilliant idea to build a much bigger wind mill with metal scraps in the village. He decides to generate electricity with the wind mill and pump the much needed water to the farms – the solution that saves the lives of his entire village people.

This book is a story of perseverance, hope and hard work. Above all, this is a story that can inspire any child and adult alike to follow their dreams in spite of all the challenges that life throws at them.

Disclaimer – The views and recommendations expressed are absolutely personal and we have no affiliation to any of the publishers or authors. These are books that my child and I thoroughly enjoy, and want to share the joy with others! For more book recommendations, check out our blog section STEMonsters Reads