The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

Young Readers Edition

William Kamkwamba, Bryan Mealer

Penguin Young Readers Group · Print & ebook · January 5, 2016

Now a Netflix film starring and directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor, this is a gripping memoir of survival and perseverance about the heroic young inventor who brought electricity to his Malawian village.

Buy on Amazon

We earn from qualifying purchases.

Who it’s for
A memoir of practical science and resourcefulness under pressure, rooted in family and community.
Themes
Survival and perseverance, Ingenuity and invention, Drought and food insecurity
Genres
Science & Tech Biographies for Kids, Inventions, Africa for Kids

Nearest books

Matched by what the books are about, then ordered by what their readers also loved.

  1. Kwesi and Nana Ruby Learn to SwimKobina Commeh48% match
  2. The Madman of Piney Woods (scholastic Gold)Christopher Paul Curtis47% match
  3. Born Behind BarsPadma Venkatraman49% match
  4. NorthwindGary Paulsen46% match
  5. The Door of No ReturnKwame Alexander53% match
  6. The Magician's ElephantKate DiCamillo48% match

For older readers: The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace, Bad Boy, The Electric War

Start with three books, and this one can be the first.

Members get a new edition every morning: a route out from their books to essays, research and talks, with the reason for each.

Start with this book

About this book

Now a Netflix film starring and directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor, this is a gripping memoir of survival and perseverance about the heroic young inventor who brought electricity to his Malawian village. When a terrible drought struck William Kamkwamba's tiny village in Malawi, his family lost all of the season's crops, leaving them with nothing to eat and nothing to sell. William began to explore science books in his village library, looking for a solution.

Continue reading

There, he came up with the idea that would change his family's life forever: he could build a windmill. Made out of scrap metal and old bicycle parts, William's windmill brought electricity to his home and helped his family pump the water they needed to farm the land. Retold for a younger audience, this exciting memoir shows how, even in a desperate situation, one boy's brilliant idea can light up the world. Complete with photographs, illustrations, and an epilogue that will bring readers up to date on William's story, this is the perfect edition to read and share with the whole family.

Ideas Into Action

A memoir of practical science and resourcefulness under pressure, rooted in family and community.

Come here for

  • A young inventor’s hands-on answer to a real-world need
  • Science learned from books, put to work with scrap materials

Expect

  • A younger-audience retelling with photographs and illustrations
  • An epilogue bringing William’s story up to date

Where it sits

Science & Tech Biographies for Kids78%
Africa for Kids63%
Inventions39%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Science & Tech Biographies for Kids
  • Africa for Kids
  • Electricity & Electronics
Authors
William Kamkwamba, Bryan Mealer
Publisher
Penguin Young Readers Group
Published
January 5, 2016
Format
Print & ebook
Theme
Survival and perseverance · Ingenuity and invention · Drought and food insecurity
Reading lane
Science & Tech Biographies for Kids