Books published by publisher Mawenzi House Publishers Ltd.

Chanda is a seventeen-year-old schoolgirl in Harare, Zimbabwe, who suddenly starts suffering from memory lapses, which become even more worrisome when she starts seeing a zebra in all sorts of places. The trouble is, nobody else can see it. Afraid of being institutionalized in a hospital, she follows the advice of an old aunt and sets off for her ancestral village, a primitive settlement with none of the amenities she is used to in the city. But there she meets the rest of her family, including her strange and mysterious grandmother, and learns the hard way who she really is—not a superficial, rich city girl with foreign habits but someone who is somebody, whose name carries a history of her African people.

It is the turbulent 1980s in apartheid South Africa, when even the ordinary life is full of danger and uncertainty. What will tomorrow bring? Tihelo, a thirteen-year-old girl, lives with her older sister Keitumetse and their mother Kgomotso. Kgomotso works as a maid for a white household in the city and has to depend on the neighbours to keep an eye on the girls; one day she does not come home. Dancing in the Dust is a moving story of growing up in a fearful, oppressive society, where the only comfort for the young is dream and romance, and the only free option that of rebellion. “. . . cinematic in clarity . . . Molope makes her reader see and understand . . . feel the enormity of apartheid’s atrocity.” —The Globe and Mail

Winner of the Ottawa Book Award, English Fiction, 2019Named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2018Named to the Globe 100, 2018CBC Books, Top YA Pick for 2018Named to Best Books for Kids and Teens, Fall 2018Named to Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best Books, 2018What does a teenage girl do when she sees her beloved older brother commit a horrific crime? Should she report to her parents, or should she keep quiet? Should she confront him? All her life, Naledi has been in awe of Basi, her charming and outgoing older brother. They've shared their childhood, with its jokes and secrets, the alliances and stories about the community. Having reached thirteen, she is preparing to go to the school dance. Then she sees Basi commit an act that violates everything she believes about him. How will she live her life now? This coming-of-age novel brings together many social issues, peculiar not only to South Africa but elsewhere as well, in the modern world: class and race, young love and physical desire, homosexuality. In beautiful, lyrical, and intimate prose, Molope shows the dilemmas facing a young woman as she attempts to find her place in a new, multiracial, and dynamic nation emerging into the world after more than a century of racist colonialism. A world now dominated by men.

Fifteen-year-old Munna lives with his Ma and sisters in a small town in India. Determined to end his family's misfortunes, he is lured into a dream job in the Middle East, only to be sold. He must work at the Sheikh's camel farm in the desert and train young boys as jockeys in camel races. The boys, smuggled from poor countries, have lost their families and homes. Munna must starve these boys so that they remain light on the camels' backs, and he must win the Gold Sword race for the Sheikh. In despair, he realizes that he is trapped and there is no escape . . .

Fiction. Young Adult. Chanda is a seventeen-year-old schoolgirl in Harare, Zimbabwe, who suddenly starts suffering from memory lapses, which become even more worrisome when she starts seeing a zebra in all sorts of places. The trouble is, nobody else can see it. Afraid of being institutionalized in a hospital, she follows the advice of an old aunt and sets off for her ancestral village, a primitive settlement with none of the amenities she is used to in the city. But there she meets the rest of her family, including her strange and mysterious grandmother, and learns the hard way who she really is--not a superficial, rich city girl with foreign habits but someone who is somebody, whose name carries a history of her African people.

How do you fight an evil wizard when your only weapon is your smarts?A happy group of forest animals are stopped cold by a wizard’s enchanted fog thatwhispers their greatest fears. The animals think they have to run away but a bravefox gives them a better idea. He shows them how to stand up for themselves andhow to handle the problem at its source.Join the fox and his friends as they figure out how to defeat a bully wizard—andhave fun in the process!The Fox Forest Band is wonderfully illustrated with strong characters handling a real-lifesituation—bullying—in an imaginative and fun way. My daughter loves me readingthis to her. —Samantha Pasco, TeacherA good story with quality illustrations, The Fox Forest Band is sure to delight kids of allages—for who hasn’t had to deal with someone pushing them around? —A.W.

How do you discover yourself after heartbreak? Travel with a young artist on her true adventures in the 70s-a time of free love, drugs, the peace movement, and an explosive art scene as she searches for meaning in her own life. After heartbreak at home, she wins a scholarship to England and journeys across Europe to Nepal, with her sense of humor and sketchbook at her side. At first she follows her English boyfriend, then treks alone through the Himalaya foothills. She meets a Patron of the Arts, the head Lama, a Gurkha warrior, and faces risky situations in search of what she ultimately learns means most to her. Journey with her as she discovers real life is rich with characters doing extraordinary things every day. "Lynda Cain Hubbard tells a fascinating true story of self-discovery and maturation on her travels through Nepal. Accompanied by an ever-present sketchpad and enthusiasm born of youth, the reader fears for her safety as she encounters frightening people and situations, and smiles as she grows in understanding. It is an exciting read!" Lee A. Jackman, author Becoming Lee-a memoir, 2014 Loving Dangerously: Journey to Nepal. A Story of Adventure and Risk, is Lynda Cain Hubbard's memoir of her journey-turned-spiritual awakening. If you are searching for something, for answers, for peace, for a way to move on with life while never leaving behind lessons hard learned, then Loving Dangerously can become a guide book on how to do it with grace, a love for humanity, and a grand sense of adventure that will never leave you.-an inspiring story for readers of all ages.

Fiction. Young Adult. Teen fiction. Ages 12+. Finalist for the 2018 SYRCA Snow Willow Award Finalist. Fifteen-year-old Munna lives with his Ma and sisters in a small town in India. Determined to end his family's misfortunes, he is lured into a dream job in the Middle East, only to be sold. He must work at the Sheikh's camel farm in the desert and train young boys as jockeys in camel races. The boys, smuggled from poor countries, have lost their families and homes. Munna must starve these boys so that they remain light on the camels' backs, and he must win the Gold Sword race for the Sheikh. In despair, he realizes that he is trapped and there is no escape.

Ready for a nap, young Fred the Basset Hound goes to his room after an energetic morning of play and the unthinkable happens: his favorite comfy, red bed has disappeared! After a search of his house that involved an exchange with a less than helpful mouse, Fred sets out on a journey outside to find his bed. Along the way he meets a sedentary frog, an enthusiastic cricket, and a sympathetic owl. The dilemma of his lost bed intensifies as Fred realizes he has strayed too far from home without telling his father that he left. A Bed for Fred is a delightful journey relatable to young children, figuring out the world they live in as well as their first experiences with complication and change.