The Paper House, written by Lois Peterson. Orca, 2012. $7.95 ages 8 and up

"For more than a week, Safiyah hardly left the clinic. It was a noisy and busy place. The nurses and doctors were kind. And tucked against Cucu's side at night, Safiyah was able to stop worrying so much about her grandmother. Once the nurses reassured her that Cucu would be treated for free, Safiyah relaxed and enjoyed watching everything going on around them."

For most of us, imagining the life that Safiyah lives with her grandmother is almost impossible. They have moved to Kiberia, the slum just outside Nairobi, so that her mother might find work. When her mother dies, ten-year-old Safiyah becomes the sole source of income for she and her sick grandmother, her only family. That income results from her scavenging the dump for anything she might sell. The dump is a dangerous place, rife with infection and gangs.

Safiyah wants to go to school, but she barely ekes out a living for the two of them. They have little food, the clothes on their back and a constant concern for Cucu's health. There is no money for hospitalization, or medicine. There is certainly no money for a school uniform and no time to attend, given how long it takes to forage daily for anything of value.

One day, when the dump offers nothing of real use to her, she finds some colorful magazines which appeal to her artist's sensibility. She must fight another young scavenger for them. It is a serendipitous meeting. Chidi only wants the car pictures, but he is determined to have them. Worrying that she might be in trouble, Safiyah is thankful that Blade (a gang leader) is willing to help her.

Using the pictures from the magazine and supplies that her friend Pendo gets for her from school, Safiyah begins to create an outdoor mural that attracts much attention from passers-by.  She is using the collage she is creating to tell her life's story. A further encounter with Blade upsets her grandmother; but, he only wants to help. His mother is a nurse and works at the free clinic. Mrs. Pakua arranges to have Cucu admitted to the clinic, where her health improves and Safiyah's sense of foreboding is eased.

When her grandmother is healthy and finally released from care, the two return to their home and have other surprises in store for them. I will not spoil them for you. Safiyah must deal with poverty, illness, worry and the daily struggle to live. She is also blessed with a supportive community, wonderful friends, a strong spirit, family love and the soul of an artist.