Njinga "The Warrior Queen"

This series of historical accounts profiles strong women who took extraordinary measures to achieve and maintain powerincluding murder, deception, and black magicexamining the women's reputations in the context of their eras. Just how wicked were they? The books allow readers to decide for themselves if these infamous ladies were indeed heartless and evil or simply out of touch and making the most of their circumstances. Njinga, the Warrior Queen, fought fiercely to keep her West African people from slavery. Yet she engaged in slave trading herself, performed human sacrifices, andsome believedmurdered her nephew, the heir to the throne, and feasted on his heart. Though she was seemingly a terrifying tyrant, her other actions prove that she was also a freedom fighter. This smart, evocative story presents all sides of this fascinating woman who did whatever it took to win and protect her kingdom.

Janie Havemeyer is a literacy tutor, a former museum educator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a former elementary school teacher, and the author of Catherine de' Medici "The Black Queen." She lives in San Francisco. Peter Malone has illustrated more than 20 children’s books, as well as the books in the Thinking Girl's Treasury of Dastardly Dames series, and is the author of Close to the Wind.