The New York Times best-selling memoir* of the heroic young inventor who brought electricity to his Malawian village is perfect for young readers. Kamkwamba tells about a period from his childhood living in a small Malawi village.

    His family was poor, but they got by* working as farmers. Kamkwamba was in elementary school, when the drought* and famine* of the mid-2000s upset the patterns of local life.

    The author describes the sad effects upon his family. They ate insects, and rations* were reduced to only a single mouthful daily. Many around them suffered even worse. Somehow, the family struggled through until the rains returned to nourish a new crop, but they couldn’t afford* Kamkwamba’s school fees.

    He farmed with his father but also discovered a local library, where he taught himself to make a windmill to draw water to irrigate* the fields.

    Those around him thought he was crazy as he collected motor parts, a PVC pipe, his father’s broken bicycle, and anything else he could find. Kamkwamba did successfully harness the wind, managing to light his family’s house, charge community cell phones for a small income, and pump irrigation water. A school inspection team saw the windmill and brought educators to see the teen engineer, who was invited to speak at the African TED conference and given a scholarship.

    Various versions are availabe at jd.com.(SD-Agencies)