The story in three lines. During Malawi's 2001 famine, fourteen-year-old William Kamkwamba was sent home from school because his family could not pay about eighty dollars in fees. Using pictures in a library textbook, he built a windmill from scrap that lit his family's home. Villagers called him crazy; within five years the world was asking him to speak.

One question to ask. "Which line would you keep?" Then: "Why do you think the villagers laughed?" A good answer is kind to them: they were hungry, and he was spending time on junk.

One thing to do at the table. If you have a bicycle with a dynamo lamp, turn the wheel by hand and watch the lamp: slow, then fast. Talk about where the energy comes from. If not, ask: what is the most useful thing you could build from things in a scrap pile?

The grown-up layer. The famous line is about trying. The story deliberately keeps the part that is less often told: he was out of school because of a fee. Teenagers usually notice the unfairness before anything else. The Honest Page gives his cousin and friend their place, because the short version leaves them out.

Ask for the line before you offer yours.