A Chameleon, A Boy, and A Quest by J. A. Myhre

Mu is a 10 year old boy living in Africa. Orphaned as a child, he now lives with his unloving Uncle, where he acts as a servant. Mu has very little happiness and no hope for change in his life. One day, when he is drawing water from the creek, Mu is greeted by a chameleon who knows his name! He tells Mu that they will embark on a quest together and it turns out to be quite the adventure. He faces much danger and makes new friends, and learns quite a bit about himself in the process.

I can't say enough positive things about this book! I wish more children's books were like this one! It is a fantasy book, but unlike most fantasy books I have read. I think that is because much of what Mu goes through is real life experiences. Readers get a true taste of what life is like for an African child, or any child from a poverty stricken country.

While this book doesn't openly talk about God, the message is underlying throughout most of the book. There are a lot of large words in the story, which I find to be a positive element. It gives us as parents a good chance to broaden our child's word bank and discuss new words and meanings! This is an excellent book to read aloud as family. I read it aloud with my 9 year old present, and she was glued to it, wanting to know what happened next. On amazon, it is recommended for children ages 8-12, and I think that is pretty accurate. What I think is most interesting about this book, is that the author wrote it while living in Africa. So you know she really knew about the culture and the people there.

I would definitely recommend this book to others looking for a good tween book or read aloud book! I rate it as 5 stars.

To learn more about the author and this book, please visit: http://litfusegroup.com/author/jamyhre

I received this book for free from Litfuse in exchange for my honest unbiased opinion.