The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Young Readers Edition

“When you go to see the lake, you will also see the hippos.” A Malawian saying that meant William Kamkwamba never did just one thing, he took every opportunity to always keep an eye out for something that could be turned into something else. Or in the case of this particular quote, William and his cousin would catch grasshoppers for a tasty snack while working. Another way of saying, “Kill two birds with one stone.” William grew up in a small village in Malawi, Africa. Born with an inquisitive mind and ambition, William went against his people’s belief in magic, witches, and wizards, and developed a sound mind built upon fact and reason. He tinkered with radios and figured out how they work and then started repairing people’s radios. He turned other people’s trash into a variety of toys and eventually, the pinnacle of his youth, he built a large working windmill, bringing electricity to his home and the village. “With a windmill, we’d finally release ourselves from the troubles of darkness and hunger. A windmill meant more than just power. It was freedom.” William’s voice is as entertaining and humorous as it is powerful. A true inspiration to all youth. His experiences facing starvation and his ingenuity were best said in his own words when he described how he and his cousin were like the parable Jesus taught about the sower of seeds. He said, “We’re like those seeds planted on fertile soil, not on the roadside, stepped on by everyone walking past…That’s right. We lived. We survived.” This young reader’s edition of the New York Time’s bestselling book, a true story of survival against the odds, is a book not only for young readers but older readers as well. Although the novel is condensed to accommodate for younger readers, the quality and the impressive nature of William’s character and experience are not compromised. The science is explained clearly and in a manner that is easy to understand, even for readers who aren’t science minded. Reading The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is an experience unlike any other. Readers will get to know a boy who experienced extreme hunger not only for food, but for electricity, modern conveniences, and most important…knowledge! Not only did William experience this hunger, but he figured out how to solve his problem of hunger, then he went out and feasted like a king! “Think of your dreams and ideas as tiny miracle machines inside you that no one can touch. The more faith you put into them, the bigger they get, until one day they’ll rise up and take you with them.”