Summary:  As part of the series, “The Thinking Girl’s Treasury of Dastardly Dames,” Njinga, the Warrior Queen tells the story of a young girl growing up in West Africa.  Njinga was born into a royal African family in 1583.  When she was born, the soothsayers predicted she would not be an easy person.  Njinga was a clever girl and her father noticed and taught her how to be a ruler. After her father died, Njinga’s loyalty was always to her people.  She strived for sovereignty against other raiding tribes, the encroaching Portuguese and the slave trade.  To do this she had to be ruthless.  How dastardly was she?  Read on.

What I liked about it:  Drawings and paintings interspersed through the text make this period come alive.   The details of Njinga’s life add interest to the story, such as what she ate or wore.  (For example, she would dress like a man when she went into battle.)   .  Author Janie Havemeyer is a former elementary teacher and museum educator.  Illustrator Peter Malone has illustrated the entire series about “Dastardly dames.”

(Includes a bibliography for further reading.)

Who I would recommend it to: Recommend this series to girls in grade 4-8.   Recommended for schools and public libraries.