The only difference between fear and courage is hope. This is a fresh and powerful story about one girl's strength of character and her journey of hope.

Mulumbe's village is plagued by marauders, and then an elephant eats the last of her family's crop. She determines to save her family, and embarks on an adventure fraught with danger: travelling to the famed City of Gold to be reunited with her brother, Tom, and save her family by earning some money.

Grandmother tells her many riddles and it is these life lessons that carry her through the obstacles and dangers she encounters: 'Mulumbe, the river of our ancestors flows most strongly through you. Girl, remember your riddle, real strength is found in those who might be thought to be weak.'

This story is in part the Africa we know from TV: famine, unrest and refugee camps. But, it also encapsulates the strength of family and hope, and wonderfully portrays the landscape and animals: elephants, hyenas, hares, Mumbo snakes and honey birds.