Saba: Under the Hyena's Foot

Girls of Many Lands

by Jane Kurtz, Jean-Paul Tibbles (Illustrator)

When twelve-year-old Saba and her older brother are kidnapped and taken from their rural home to the royal palace at Gondar, Saba finally learns about her long-lost parents--and her own royal past. With Ethiopia's rulers in the midst of a fierce struggle for control of the throne, what can the King of Kings--Emperor Yohannes III--possibly want with her?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Fiction, Childrens, Historical, Young Adult, Ethiopia

210 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2003

About the author

Jane Kurtz was born in Portland, Oregon, but when she was two years old, her parents moved to Ethiopia. Jane grew up in Maji, a small town in the southwest corner of the country.
Since there were no televisions, radios, or movies, her memories are of climbing mountains, wading in rivers by the waterfalls, listening to stories, and making up her own stories, which she and her sisters acted out for days at a time.


That love of nature has recently inspired her to write books about loving the Earth--such as WHAT DO THEY DO WITH ALL THAT POO? and PLANET JUPITER.

Jane has published more than 40 books, fiction, nonfiction, picture books, novels for young readers, and ready-to-reads. Some are based on her childhood in Ethiopia. Some draw on her own children, such as ANNA WAS HERE, a novel for young readers that asks life's big questions about pain and disaster--and offers a few puny answers.

Since her childhood in Ethiopia, Jane has lived in Illinois, Colorado, North Dakota, Kansas and--now--back in Portland, Oregon.

Reviews

[Jersy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't find the way this book is written especially engaging and Saba, the protagonist, is mostly passive throuought the story. I liked the Ethopian influences, however, and that it turns into court intruige.
The author does a good job of establishing Saba's life in hiding and her relationships, to contrast it with her experiences in Gondar. For me, the content of the book was really interesting, but I don't know if it would excite the intendet audience enough.

[Bulk Reviews · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was CONFUSING. I don't know if it was because the author didn't often describe places/people very well, or if it was because she constantly spoke in metaphors, or if the royal lineage was way too complicated or WHAT, but I was generally lost as to what was going on. Maybe I'm just stupid? The twelve year-old protagonist was smarter than I am, apparently, because she tended to know things without being told. The ending of the book was particularly mystifying to me. Saba suddenly realizes that she is in danger and that she needs to rescue her brother as soon as possible, so she flies in the dead of night and finds him in some cave by a gorge. The book ends with them running away and Saba deciding royal life isn't for her. I couldn't even tell you what message the book was trying to send, other than that powerful people are scary. The whole plot was just a jumbling mess.

The book WAS better than I initially thought it was (the beginning was so mind-muddling that I was thinking 1 star right off the bat) and I liked the whole plot of her being a royal who was hidden away from the world. A little bit like Sleeping Beauty. I also really liked the whole story about the three men and the hyena, and how you should never place yourself under the protection of someone who scares you into obedience. So there was some good stuff, but overall I don't think children would like this much. It's annoyingly vague and overly complex.

P.S. I've noticed with the Girls of Many Lands books that the protagonists don't really have any personality. They're just kind of blank slates who are silent witnesses to the crazy events happening around them, until they do something brave and heroic to save the day. Isabel might be an exception, but so far she's also the most obnoxious of them all. I'm hoping the series picks up in this regard.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was possibly another one of my favorites in the Girls of Many Lands series! I also found this book a great read; thrilling, and I was unable to put it down. It was an excellent read and a great story!

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Has a fair bit of violence and Saba speaks a lot in metaphors and proverbs.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a really interesting book. This is not a topic I would have normally picked up. I will be looking more into history of Ethiopia. I would love to travel to Gondar. This story had an ending similar to other Girls of Many Lands books. This was a confusing read due to the content and family. The culture being unfamiliar played a big part. The "Looking Back" section helps bring understanding of the story.

[Meredith Henning · Rating 1 out of 5]

Violet's reading page: http://happyheartsmom.typepad.com/swe...

[Betty Strohecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book in the Girls of Many Lands series! Jane Kurtz grew up in Ethiopia from the age of two until she returned to the U.S. to attend college, so she writes with authority about the culture, history, and traditions she includes in this book. The story of 12 year old Saba will engage adults as well as youth. It is told with beautiful imagery and voice to make the reader feel the experiences of Saba. Highly recommended!

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Out of all the Girls of Many Lands I've read, this is one of the least interesting to me. I loved learning about Ethiopian history, especially during such a turbulent time, but the plot was rather boring. Besides a few big scenes, the plot feels stagnant, as do the characters. I liked Saba, but she was underdeveloped. Yes, I know this is a children's book, but that does not give it an excuse to not developed the characters a bit more.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this had more plot than the other Girls of Many Lands books, it was so confusing. I’m a historian, and I had trouble following it. I can’t imagine a 12 year old engaging with it.

Also, I was really expecting the teacher to be her father… maybe that would have been too obvious, but he was the one redeeming side character and he didn’t even get a name.

[Ruth Watkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

Definitely not one of my favorites of the Girls of Many Lands series, but still good enough to read all the way through. I wish we got to follow Saba and her brother after their escape from the palace, but I understand it would have been difficult to tie them into the history of Kassa overthrowing the emperor.

[David Smither · Rating 3 out of 5]

While it is an accurate portrayal of Ethiopia in the 1840s, the story itself is not well written.
Suitable for older elementary students.
Unique Feature: Ethiopian terms are used throughout.
Genre: Historical Fiction (Real genre: American Girl)

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was so much political jockeying and such a tangle of intertwining and battling royal bloodlines in this story that I couldn't keep them all sorted out. I had hoped for a more resolved ending too. There were questions left unanswered.

[Abigail Werner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love all the Girls of Many Lands books, and this was no exception. For a twelve year old girl, Saba really gets into an adventure in this book. And, like the original American Girl books, this is middle school grade level.

[Lionheart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rated 3 1/2 stars
Ages 12+
Kind of violence, she's twelve and the empress arranges a husband for her so thats a little odd...

[Chris Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fabulous

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rated—G (my personal opinion based on content)

[Staci Tronsgard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has been on my book shelf for 15 years and finally decide to read it now for some reason. Probably would have liked it more 15 years ago. A little boring but an easy read.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saba: Under the Hyena's Foot by Jane Kurtz -- This series is full of gutsy young women that give you a glimpse into their world and what they wish they could change. Happy Reading!

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting historical fiction book about a young girl in 1846 Ethiopia. It is definitely an area of the world that I know very little about

[chelsea! · Rating 4 out of 5]

i loved this series as a kid and i saw this in a little free library on my walk today and i’m delighted to say it was still charming and informative!!

[The Wanderer · Rating 3 out of 5]

What better way to learn about a place than through some well-researched fiction? So much more enjoyable than dry encyclopedia articles. I loved the way that Kurtz immersed us in this old Ethiopian world - the architecture, the food, the clothing, the metaphors, the customs... It inspires me to make a more immersive world in my own writing. I was invested - what happened to her brother? I cared about finding out.

I also liked the ending - the triumphal tone, with much resolved but the future left unknown, because, after all, there's a lot left to this story!

On the more critical side, I do think that if the story were set in a place that I'm much more familiar with (say, England, for example), I would have been a bit bored with the lack of events. And at the same time, I had to keep checking the family tree at the start because somehow the simple relationships felt complex and confusing. Finally, a preteen might get a bit lost with the indirect revelations, but then again, don't underestimate preteens. :-)

It's a quick and easy read, would recommend.

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story takes place in 1846 in Ethiopia and is about Saba, a young girl living with her mother and her brother. Their family has been hiding out for a while, now, and Saba has never been told the total truth behind their aversion of other people.

The story unfolds after Saba and her brother are kidnapped, taking to a major city of the area, and where Saba is treated like royalty. She is separated from her brother and is unsure whether he is alive or not.

She learns she's a pawn in the midst of a power struggle, due to be married off to someone she doesn't know. There's a general that is not above massacring village people, an old teacher who has to flee and a variety of other characters.

There is, as with other similar books, a historical section at the end with information on Ethiopia of that time. Altogether an interesting book with a very strong, very courageous young girl.

[Ari · Rating 4 out of 5]

The descriptions of Ethiopia were evocative, I could see everything the author was describing, feel the heat and imagine what it felt like to hold amber. I read this book in 6th grade I believe and it really opened my eyes to the fact that Africa had had royalty. And for that this book will always have a special place in my heart. From there I sought out more books about African royalty since that was obviously not something I was going to learn in school (maybe a Cleopatra or Hatshepsut mention). I initially thought I would re-read this book for the blog but I accept the fact that I probably won't. I do however hope to save this book. The cover's lovely too.

[Liralen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-researched look at one girl's life in 1840s Ethiopia. I know very little about that era, so for a while this read a lot earlier to me—1600s? I have no idea. But I'm willing to trust in the research here.

Nice sense of growth for Saba, who starts as a frightened child and evolves over the course of the book to become first a rather spoiled, ignorant royal and then, gradually, a determined maker-of-her-own-fate. Also a nice sense of her putting her lessons to use.

I did wish we'd seen more than just this slice of life—you're definitely left with the impression that her story is really only just starting.

[Sarah Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always loved these books growing up and I'm happy to be reading/rereading the ones on my shelf. One thing that I love about the Girls of Many Lands series is the fact that the writers put extensive research into the culture they are writing, as well as the time period. I love reading and feeling like I'm then and there. With Saba, this was the case.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

THESE COME WITH THE DOLLS SO IT IS PRETTY COOL TO IMAGINE WHAT IT WAS LIKE FOR THEM. FOR SABA ITS REALLY COOL HOW SHE HAS TO TRY AND NOT GET KILLED BECAUSE OF OTHERS WANTING THE POWER SHE COULD HAVE. ITS ALSO VERY ADVENTUROUS LIKE HOW SHE SAVES HER BROTHER.

[Rosa Wichuraiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saba, like all the Girls of the World books, is very well-researched and surprisingly well-written. The plot of this novel, with its intrigue and rags-to-riches story, is my favorite of the set, but it suffers from a sudden and unfulfilling ending.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this book, I wished it had a better ending.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the best of the Girls of Many Lands books

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great fiction book about Ethiopia. My daughter and I loved it.