Review: Carlotta Ikedi has never enjoyed being in school. She did not do well in San Fransisco. Her family moved to Oklahoma but her studying did not work there either. Her parents, Richard and Shelley, are desperate. Suddenly Richard gets an idea which chances Carlotta's life completely. Soon Carlotta notices she is in a trap. A trip to Nigeria with her mother turns into a nightmare when she learns that her parents are going to put her into a boarding school which is in there, Nigeria.The girls only boarding school FGGC Uddah is like a weird planet for Carlotta. The strict school rules and regulations, rising bell, lights-out, manual labor, inspections, dining time, prefects, punishments, mean bunkmates and visiting days soon become the center of Carlotta's attention. With time she learns the traditions of the school, gets new friends and even starts to enjoy her time in FGGC Uddah.Back in USA things are not going well between Carlotta's parents. Shelley fights to the last bit to save her marriage but understands that maybe fighting isn't enough and eventually kicks Richard out of her life. Suddenly they both notice they are in a middle of organized crime and that all they can do is to do exactly what they are told to to make sure that nothing happens to their daughter.My take of the book: The whole book is well researched. The author took influence from her background, friends and experiences in Nigeria which is visible in the whole story. The author really brings up the cultural traditions, foods and people of Nigeria. Reading this book was like travelling to Nigeria and really experiencing all those things Carlotta does. I loved the international feeling of the book and I loved to learn something about a totally new culture to me.I must admit that I almost gave up with this book. The first 100 pages go on really slow and I felt like the story does not develop at all. Finally when Carlotta gets to FGGC Uddah the story starts to speed up and gets really interesting. I think that the only major minus of this book is the whole organized crime thing. It is in the shadows of everything else and I feel like the story does not need it to be exciting. Luckily it is only a minor part of the story so I did not bother that much.
