1. One way to interpret the supernatural elements in the story is to explain them as figments of Nhamo's imagination.

Another way to look at them is to accept them as real, as Nhamo does. What evidence is there in the story to support either or both of these possibilities?

What is the author's attitude toward the spirit realm?

2. Stories about a person or group of people who are stranded on an island far from civilization and have to survive indefinitely on their own are called "Robinsonnades," for the famous setting from Robinson Crusoe. Is A Girl Named Disaster a Robinsonnade? Is this a realistic tale of survival? Could a girl of Nhamo's age and background survive on her own in unfamiliar territory for such an extended period of time?

3. Farmer uses many foreign words and phrases. Do these terms help or hinder the story...