Grandmother's Winning Smile

This is an inspiring story of strong will and notable wit in the context of poverty and seeming desperation. Gazemba takes us to the rural African settings where Kinuthia's hopes for completing his primary school education, and the bright future it would bring, are on the verge of crashing down after his father sells the milking cow as the only source of family income and deserts him to his aging grandmother. The elderly woman is a personality of strong spirit, amazing cunning and stubborn pride though. Determined to prevent Kinuthia from joining the work-gangs in the village, his grandmother embarks on a powerful struggle through indigenous means to keep her only grandchild in school and promise him a future.

Grandmother's Winning Smile was long listed for the 2007 Macmillan Prize.

Author Stanley Gazemba reveals more about Grandmother's Winning Smile and his life as a writer in a Worldreader interview at http://www.worldreader.org/blog/writers-changing-lives-an-interview-with-kenyan-author-stanley-gazemba/.

‘Grandmother's Winning Smile is a gripping tale about the challenges many children in today's Kenya are facing to access education and improve their lot. Its power lies in the unlikely association of the placid and the vocal, the brave and the bright. Ending with the joint triumph of the main characters, this beautiful story of human possibility against all odds should strengthen the resolve of the many young Kenyans facing similar odds to Kinutia's.’ Hadrien Diez, contributor at Africa Book Club

Worldreader presents this e-book in a new series showcasing the best of children’s and young adult fiction from around the world. Are you a worldreader? Read more about this not-for-profit social enterprise at worldreader.org.