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Gr 3-5 In what amounts to a bildungsroman, Burns recounts the coming-of-age of Mansa Musa, one of Mali's most celebrated kings. After the death of Sundiata, the kingdom of Mali began to decline. Life, however, is still good in the countryside of the once-great nation. One evening, a shrouded stranger in blue arrives in the small village of Kaba Kangaba. Fascinated by the mysterious visitor, young Kankan Musa joins the rest of his village at a gathering to listen to Tariq a...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

Mansa Musa ruled Mali during the fourteenth century and demonstrated his kingdom's wealth by leading a richly caparisoned caravan of thousands of Malinke on pilgrimage to Mecca—that much is part of the historical record. From this historic material Khephra Burns invents a story of Kankan Musa's childhood that is part coming-of-age tale, part cautionary tale, and part fairy tale. After a raid on his village, Kankan is sold to a Tuareg named Tariq al-Aya, who teaches him how to survive in the Sahara and...Log In or Sign Up to Read More