The Baboon King

Library Journal

Gr 8 Up-Half Kikuyu and half Masai, Morengaru belongs to neither world. Gravely injured while living as an outcast, he is taken in by a troop of baboons. The visceral descriptions, explorations of the animals' psychology, and realizations about his own humanity make this a memorable, even mystical novel. (June) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

Gr 8 UpA marvelous trip of discovery, gracefully and grippingly told. Quintana introduces readers to two East African cultures through Morengru, a young man born of a Kikuyu mother and Masai father, and therefore truly of neither group. He now lives alongside, but not exactly among, the Kikuyu, peaceful civilized farmers whom he views through the eyes of his Masai upbringing, thus showing this hunting peoples scorn for what they consider to be earth-grubbers. Morengrus aloof arrogance in this part of the novel will appeal to teens. After accidentally killing a Kikuyu tribesman, Morengru is ceremonially expelled from the village, and he refuses to do the expectedto plead for his readmittancethus exiling himself. However, when he sets off on a solitary journey as a man without a country, his pride begins peeling away. Readers see his fears and the pain of being an outsider. Then he falls in with a troop of baboons and becomes, through a bloody fight with their leader, their new king. He learns the meanings of their various calls and gestures and the structure of their tribal order. The climax comes when Morengru is finally able to contribute to the troop and he realizes that his humanity demands that he return to live among humans. This remarkable novel deserves to be placed alongside such classic looks at the human condition as Lord of the Flies and A Separate Peace, and recommended to readers who loved Gary Paulsens Hatchet (Macmillan, 1986) and are seeking other adventures at a more advanced level.Coop Renner, Coldwell Elementary-Intermediate School, El Paso, TX Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

A splendid story about an outcast—the ultimate outsider—who is rejected by his people and finds his humanity in the demanding African plains. Accepted as neither Masai nor Kikuyu because of his mixed blood, Morengáru lives on the fringes of both worlds until the fateful night when he accidentally kills a Kikuyu tribesman. Banished and alone, Morengáru begins his long walk to nowhere, with nothing except his weapons and his wits. He comes across a troop of baboons, led by a huge and vicious-looking gray male, the king; knowing how dangerous these animals are, Morengáru tries to stay calm so the king will not challenge him, but their confrontation is inevitable. In the course of a terrible struggle, Morengáru kills the baboon, but is cruelly, permanently injured; he resigns himself to death, but that release is denied him. He slowly recovers, only to realize that he is, somehow, the new baboon king, and must decide how to live—as an animal, or as a human. This beautifully told, often gory tale is impressive in the themes it tackles, and the surprisingly realistic ways in which those themes are explored. The descriptions of the unforgiving world in which Morengáru lives are unforgettable. (map) (Fiction. 12-14)