Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor Book Review


Written by Nnedi Okorafor
Published by Viking Books for Young Readers in 2011
ISBN: 978-0670011964

Plot Summary: Sunny is a girl who was born with albinism in the United States but now lives in Nigeria with her family. She is teased at school with her classmates calling her akata witch which is a derogatory name for people who are of African descent but were born in America. Sunny meets a friend named Orlu and starts to hang out with her. Chichi is Orlu's neighbor where she is introduced to a secret society of magic people called Leopard people. Sunny meets with the Leopard people and gets sucked under the earth and becomes a member of the tribe where she gets to explore her power of becoming invisible. Sunny learns about a group named Black Hat Otokoto who is using children to bolster their dark magic. Sunny grows her understanding and power as she gets a knife to help her with her magic as well as uses her power in front of the bullies even though she isn't supposed to. She attends a festival where Chichi uses her magic to challenge a rival even though it leads to children getting hurt. Sunny learns that the Black Hat is trying to raise an evil spirit called Ekwensu into the world. They go and confront the Black Hat Otokoto who almost succeeds in raising the spirit but is thwarted by Sunny and her friends. As the story ends Sunny finds a letter from her grandmother letting her know that she was part of the Leopard tribe in secret and she passed her gift of invisibility on to her. Sunny goes back to her normal every day life or as much as she can knowing that she possesses a great gift. 

Critical Analysis: This book has many similarities to Harry Potter which is why I chose it as I normally wouldn't go for this type of novel. Sunny is a relatable character as we all have things in our life that we find out that we have a talent or knack for or there is a part of our personality or gifts that we end up finding out is exceptional. The importance of belonging is heavily featured throughout the book and the author does a good job of weaving a tale of the growth of Sunny's chosen family unit and how it impacts her life on a day to day basis. The author also shows Sunny's great character and strength as she faces some very daunting tasks alone on occasion as well. Knowledge is first and foremost in this book as those with the most knowledge are able to perform the higher level spells and juju as it is referred to in the story. There are aspects of the book that can drag on a little bit during the middle part but the author does a great job of wrapping up the main conflict of the book even though there are several more books in the series. 

Review: Kirkus Book Review

Who can't love a story about a Nigerian-American 12-year-old with albinism who discovers latent magical abilities and saves the world? Sunny lives in Nigeria after spending the first nine years of her life in New York. She can't play soccer with the boys because, as she says, "being albino made the sun my enemy," and she has only enemies at school. When a boy in her class, Orlu, rescues her from a beating, Sunny is drawn in to a magical world she's never known existed. Sunny, it seems, is a Leopard person, one of the magical folk who live in a world mostly populated by ignorant Lambs. Now she spends the day in mundane Lamb school and sneaks out at night to learn magic with her cadre of Leopard friends: a handsome American bad boy, an arrogant girl who is Orlu’s childhood friend and Orlu himself. Though Sunny's initiative is thin—she is pushed into most of her choices by her friends and by Leopard adults—the worldbuilding for Leopard society is stellar, packed with details that will enthrall readers bored with the same old magical worlds. Meanwhile, those looking for a touch of the familiar will find it in Sunny's biggest victories, which are entirely non-magical (the detailed dynamism of Sunny's soccer match is more thrilling than her magical world saving). Ebulliently original. (Fantasy. 11-13)

Connections: Students could compare and contrast how this book goes with Harry Potter as well as look into the genre more and see where authors sometimes borrow or use themes and motifs that other authors use but put their own spin on it. 

  1. 978-0670011964

 

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