Mosquitoes don't bite Nala Simiyu. It's part of who she is, like being a
half-Kenyan seventh-grader whose mother is in a wheelchair. But when a
schoolmate's father--who happens to head up a large drug company--learns
of Nala's special power, the excitement begins. After helping out with
mosquito research, Nala has the chance to travel to Kenya to investigate
mosquitoes' reactions to her father's family. All goes well until a man
heartbroken by his daughter's death from malaria kidnaps Nala. In the
midst of a realistic adventure story, this book will introduce young
readers to such dilemmas as health disparities, subtle racism, and who
owns biological information. Brave, fallible, compassionate and
spirited, Nala is a strongly relatable character in a loving, imperfect
family.