When Kambia Elaine Flew in from Neptune

By Lori Aurelia Williams
(Simon Pulse, Paperback, 9780689845932, 256pp.)

Publication Date: September 2001

Categories: Social Issues - Friendship, Girls & Women, Family - Multigenerational

Lori Aurelia Williams is the author of When Kambia Elaine Flew In from Neptune and Shayla's Double Brown Baby Blues. She holds a master's degree in English from the University of Texas at Austin, where she was awarded both a James A. Michener Fellowship and a scholarship in creative writing. Born in Houston, Lori Aurelia Williams lives in Austin.

Angela Johnson author of Heaven Intrigues, breaks hearts, then soars. Williams is superb.

Sharon M. Draper author of Forged by Fire Lori Aurelia Williams is a gifted writer whose words ring with both poetry and honesty. Her characters are real enough to invite to Sunday dinner, and the story is woven together like a fine patchwork quilt.

Eleanora E. Tate author of The Secret of Gumbo Grove The book's rich introductory language, the starkness of Kambia's experiences... and her journey toward healing with Shayla's commonsense assistance make Williams another welcomed author to the children's literature fold.

Rita Williams-Garcia author of Like Sisters on the Homefront Wrapped in secrecy and magic, When Kambia Elaine Flew in from Neptune is one of those stories that shoots straight to the heart and hits dead-on. Shayla and Kambia are such compelling, unforgettable characters. Lori Aurelia Williams truly brought me back to Rosa Guy's The Friends. I loved this novel and was very much captivated by the poetry and the bond between the two girls.