When Kambia Elaine Flew in from Neptune

Shayla Dubois #1

by Lori Aurelia Williams

So I just made another note to add to my blue notebook later, when the house had cooled Tia's nature is boiling out of her like hot soup out of a pot, and Kambia Elaine just flew in from Neptune.
Shayla Dubois lives in a Houston neighborhood known as the Bottom, where life is colorful but never easy. She wants only two things out of to become a writer and to have a nice, peaceful home. Instead, her life has been turned upside down. Shayla's mama kicked her sister, Tia, out of the house for messing around with an older guy, and months later Tia still hasn't come home. Shayla's father, Mr. Anderson Fox, has rolled back into town and has been spending a lot of time at the house with Mama. And Shayla still doesn't know what to make of her strange new neighbor, Kambia Elaine.
Kambia tells Shayla the most fantastic that the Lizard People turn into purple chewing gum when the sun comes up; that Memory Beetles gather up and store people's good memories; that she is a piece of driftwood from the Mississippi River. All Shayla knows for sure is that Kambia's mother has a lot of male visitors and that Kambia doesn't look too healthy. When Kambia tells Shayla about the vicious Wallpaper Wolves that hide in her walls to catch bad little girls, Shayla knows something is wrong. But she doesn't know how she can help Kambia when she can't get past her stories, and when Tia still hasn't come home.
Told lyrically and gracefully by debut author Lori Aurelia Williams, When Kambia Elaine Flew in from Neptune shows how complicated life can get when children are forced to grow up too quickly, while it also celebrates the bonds of a strong, loving family.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction, African American, Childrens, Juvenile

246 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Though Lori Aurelia Williams adored reading as a child, she never thought she’d be a writer when she grew up. While studying English at the University of Texas at Austin, she departed from the traditional lecture and composition courses and took a creative writing class on whim. Through that class, she learned she loved and had a gift for storytelling. For her fiction, which combines African-American storytelling with street slang, she was awarded a creative writing scholarship and a James A. Michener Fellowship. Born in Houston, Lori Aurelia Williams now lives in Austin.

Reviews

[Sarah Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous compelling book. I cared about Shayla, her family and Kambia from the beginning, and the portrait of the friendship that emerges between the two girls is perfectly captured. Everyday indignities, like Shayla's story being rejected from a writing contest because she used street talk are given their deserved weight, and the horrible secrets that are revealed aren't lost into melodrama. The language in the book is exceptional (lines like "pain is running from our faucets like tap water" perfectly capture Shayla's world and the way she sees it) and the ending is hopeful but not at all forced.

[♡ Daja ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is seriously one of the best books I've ever read. Being one that loves romance and nothing else can catch my attention, this book was enthralling. You'll fall into Kambia's imagination and fall in love with her struggle. Five stars!

[Kambia J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is AMAZING. I've read it about 3 times. I never cease to cry after reading it each time. I recommend you read the "sequel" to it.

[Danielle Conner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was intense from the day i picked it up till the day i put it down. i believe that this was an amazing book and is now one of my favorites. Through Lori Aurelia Williams use of descriptive diction and use of literary devices i felt as if i was walking through the same problems as Shayla was. I could tell when Shayla meant that she lived in the "bottom", and she literally means she lives in the bottom in society. The characters were explained so well that i knew exactly what each ones personality was like. I felt like i knew them just by reading the book. I could feel the emotions as if they were coming off the page. When Shayla described her dislike for her father coming back into her and her mothers life i felt as if i was right with her listening to what she was going through. i really enjoyed reading this novel. i would recommend it to anyone who is looking for an intense book to read.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Belated review. This was a solid book, with some great characters and vivid writing. It's children's lit edging on YA, but didn't talk down to the audience. (Though, the storyline of "what's happening to Kambia" was of course very obvious to the adult reader, and it's very very painful and very hard to read). I enjoyed how the neighbourhood was its own character as well, in lots of little ways.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few favorite quotes and descriptions from this book - describing a character as someone whose "cornbread wasn't quite done in the middle".... "feather duster quiet".... "slick as okra grin"... "As useless as wheat flour with weevils" ... "I stewed on her words for a minute, turning the words over in my head--like a ham bone in a pot of navy beans."

Wonderful characters! I'm eager to read the sequel.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What do you do when you know your best friend is being abused-- and you've promised not to tell?

[elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

i only got it bc the cover looked interesting so serves me right for being boooooring

[Monica Caldicott]

Raise your hand if your friends are so weird and crazy sometimes you wonder if they’re from another planet?! That’s right - you listen to them or watch them and wonder, “What planet are you from?”

Shayla’s new neighbor, Kambia Elaine is like that. 

Read p. 14: “I hurried over to Kambia … “

Another time Kambia tells her about how memory beetles steal your memories, or how wolves live in the wallpaper. Shayla is intrigued and feels sorry for Kambia, whose home life does not seem that great. Well, Shayla’s home is pretty messed up , too, when her mother told her sister, Tia to give up her older boyfriend or leave. They haven’t seen Tia in months. Then Shayla’s deadbeat dad shows up again, and she can’t believe her mom is giving him the time of day.

Shayla’s blue notebook is where she writes her thoughts and feelings.

Read p. 20: “Tia’s nature is boiling out of her like hot soup out of a pot, and Kambia Elaine just flew in from Neptune.”

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This review is based on the audio version read by the author herself. Pre-teen Shayla lives with her mother, grandmother, and sister Tia. She befriends her new neighbor Kambia, who tells strange stories. Then Tia disappears after their mother kicks her out of the house , and Kambia’s stories and health become disturbing. Where’s Tia? And what’s going on with Kambia. The tale is at times sweet, touching, and sad.

[mel slug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sad but sweet

[Aimee Massey · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can kind of tell this is a first novel. It's not at all a bad book, but I think a more ruthless editor should have worked on it.
Shayla's character is quite likable and mostly believable. However I found her to be awfully naive for twelve, especially coming from a rough neighborhood like she does. The trope of the disadvantaged child who wants to be a writer is kind of overdone, and in my mind is kind of a symptom of first-novel-itis.
Tia's character was probably the most believable of the bunch. I did find it disturbing that her family's church (or more specifically, Sister Ashada) took Tia in and never told the girls' mother about it. That just seemed very wrong on both a legal and an ethical level; and I also thought it was wrong of Mama to simply throw Tia out of the house and then make no effort to find her and patch things up when she realized Tia wasn't just cooling off at her friends' houses.
And Kambia? Poor Kambia. Again we have a trope: the abused child who retreats into imagination and reading. I found it hard to believe Kambia was the same age and in the same grade as Shayla, because she seemed quite babyish. I don't blame her for wanting to make up stories, but she did it so constantly that Shayla, naive herself, didn't know what to believe from her.
I don't think I would have enjoyed this book much as a young teen or tween, the audience it seems to be marketed toward. It's pretty wordy and the issues are fairly dark. I'm not sorry I read it as an adult, but I think it could have benefited from some editing.

[Marc · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is about a girl named Shayla Dubois who lives in a Houston neighborhood called the Bottom. She lives a life that suddenly went terrible when her sister got kicked out of her house and her father, Anderson Fox, came back home spending a lot of time with her mother. Also, Shayla encountered a new, yet strange neighbor named Kambia Elaine. Kambia tells Shayla about strange creatures like Lizard People, Memory Beetles and Wallpaper Wolves that prey after little girls. But beyond their stories, Shayla notices something strange about Kambia, that her mother sees a lot of men and that she is not in good health. Knowing that Kambia may in some sort of trouble, SHayla tries to find out what is wrong with her friend.

In my personal opinion I liked this book. I thought that the story was definitely within the bounds of reality, which is what I really like, instead of false hope fantasy garbage (i apologize to you fantasy fans, but it doesn't float my boat). Also, what I like about the story is that it creates also a sense of mystery that makes you want to keep reading to see what's happening.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

In her debut novel, Lori Aurelia Williams creates a very convincing and empathetic voice for Shayla, her 12-year-old narrator. Shayla is a bright, creative girl trying to puzzle out life in an economically disadvantaged part of Texas called the "Bottom". Like many first novels, this one attempts to take on several big issues (including racism, learning disabilities, and sexual abuse), and mostly succeeds. Initially, I was really frustrated at Shayla for not being able to identify the horrors that her best friend Kambia was facing, but then I realized that I was looking at her situation from an adult point of view, and how unfair that was. After all, I didn't know that sexual abuse existed until my sixth grade teacher read us a story about it (called The Trouble With Wednesdays). Luckily, Shayla's family provides her with a strong and loving support system, which allows her to understand the confusing and heavy secrets that she has been forced to bear and take appropriate action. I look forward to reading more about Shayla's continued growth and Kambia's healing process in the sequel, Shayla's Double Brown Baby Blues.

[Marisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Initially when I started reading this book I was not particularly impressed, but it slowly grew on me. If I hadn’t committed to reading it for the challenge, I’m not sure that I would have continued, but I’m glad I did. It’s not a book I would have chosen to read at the age it was marketed to, but it would have been a good one for school!

Shayla felt naïve to me reading as an adult, but that may be that’s the 20/20 hindsight perspective on the book. There are some concepts that are tackled that I think are valuable to address, but I also think there are other books that articulate them better. The last quarter of the book is where Shayla’s voice really comes out and that’s what pulled it all together for me. Had the book received one more pass by an editor, I think it could have really blown my socks off.

Warning: Contains content that may be explicit for young readers

Who should read it? Young tweens still not sure what they want to do.

See all my reviews and more at www.ReadingToDistraction.com or @Read2Distract

[Kira · Rating 4 out of 5]

"When Kambia Elaine Flew in from Neptune" is a novel that was extremely enjoyable to read. Shayla, the protagonist, experiences what it means to grow up in Houston as a young teenage female. She wants to become a writer, however, both her father, who is rarely in her life, and her mother don't believe writing will get her anywhere in life. Shayla's life takes a turn for the worst when her older sister, Tia, goes missing after her mother becomes upset because of her relationship with her 23-year old boyfriend, Doo-Witty. Along with this, Shayla becomes friends with a neighbor, Kambia Elaine, who is a bit awkward in the sense that she has a mind of a child and bases real life events off of her imaginative stories. Shayla begins to interpret her cryptic stories in order to reveal Kambia's internal struggles that she is reluctant to share with anyone.

This novel is a definitely a must-read for teenagers. It highlights internal struggles that some teenagers may be able to relate to.

[Spider the Doof Warrior · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a disturbing somewhat poetic book about Shayla who means Kambia Elaine who is a child troubled by abuse, but doesn't have a way of communicating this except through a series of stories. In some parts the writer overdoes it with the similes, but it is in the voice of an aspiring writer who wants to keep her dream of writing alive even if everyone around her says to be more practical except her mother and grandmother.
It is full of strong black female characters too. Well worth reading. It will go well with the book Born Blue by Han Nolan in terms of its abused child theme and also America by E.R. Frank.

Now the only real problem with this book is that Doo-Witty was 23 and Tia 15. That is kind of SQUICKY. Now, I know Doo-Witty was a bit slow, but still, I'd be like, go to art school. Want until she's older. Damn.

[Brianna]

This book so far is amazing I have not read any books by Lori Aurelia Williams but I might start. In her book titled "When Kambia Elaine Flew In From Neptune" the main character Shayla lives in the poorer low town party of Texas with her Mama and her older sister Tia. In the beginning there is a huge conflict between Mama and Tia about Tia and being sexually active. Shayla gets caught in the crossfire. Over the summer a girl moved in next door to them about Shayla's age. Shayla meets and talks to the new girl for the first time at her bus stop in the morning. The girls name was Kambia Elaine and she believes that her plastic bracelet is magic and that it makes her really small. Shayla thinks the girl is bonkers but she still kind of likes the girl and wants to get to know her better. That is what I've read do far in the book.

[Rhea Meadows · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is so0o0o0o GOOD! im not finish reading it but i have a couple of pages left to read. Kambia is a girl who's mother opens her house for a prade of men [thats how she pays the rent] shayla is the main character in this book! her sister tia goes missing because there mother does not approve of her dumb-founded 23 year old boyfriend! Kambia makes up fairytale stories so no one will guess what is really going on with her. one part of the book i really enojoy'd was when she tells shayla about the "Wall paper Wolfs" if you read this book pay attention to that part of the story! it explains a lot.

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book takes place in a black neighborhood in Houston. This story revolves around the character Shayla who encounters family issues while being introduced to a weird girl who is her next door neighbor, Kambia. Shayla becomes Kambia's only friend and is slowly let into the details of her life that shocks the whole neighborhood. Shayla is a straight A's student, being raised by her mother single-handed, while her father is off with other woman in the neighborhood. Her sister falls in love with a 'slow' early-twenties boy, before having sex him, getting caught twice, which results in a certain chain of events to happen in their household.

[Cory · Rating 2 out of 5]

You know how little kids learn how to do somersaults, and then they always want to show you how they can do a somersault, regardless of whether or not you are in a place where a somersault is appopropriate? That's kind of how I felt about this author's use of language in her book. Just because you know a metaphor doesn't mean you should use a metaphor. Also, I found the main character to be too "young" for her age, and it distracted me.

[Liyah T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually enjoyed this book. I probably would have never read a book like this but it was the first page that pulled me in and engaged me. it made me want to read more. I finished the book in about one week thats how good it was. i would really recommend this book to people who like to read books about broken homes and familys(some-what relatable storys). It was really good.

[Karen]

#UnderstandingOppression

When Kambia Elaine Flew in from Neptune by Lori Aurelia Williams | at their cores stories of children who are forced to grow up too fast. They tell of violence in the household, the effects of poverty, experiences of racism, and above all the way that two friends can carry each other along. #comingofage #factsoflife #fiction

[Shakena · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the best books i ever read. it had alot of ups and downs which kept me interested in it, but at times it did get a little boring. Overall i liked the book alot. I would tell a friend about it.

[LaQuita Stewart]

I think this book was really good. it had a good beginning and it made you think about was going to happen next. it had a plot and it was like all different kinds of stories that lead to 1 big story. i would recommend this book

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The most beautiful thing about this book are the sentences Shayla writes in her journal. Williams captures the voice of the burgeoning writer perfectly. This haunting story will stay with you for a long time.

[Debra Diggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Delightful! A coming-of-age story unlike any I have ever read before. And the author puts together the best sentences I have ever read. (I wish I knew how to say this better.)

[lyns · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book was sad. :(

it involved some pretty heinous childhood sexual abuse that was hard to read. it was well written and i like the protagonist very much.

[Rena · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written story.

[Jeanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great "disease of the week" book.