Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor
Publisher's Summary:
Akata Witch transports the reader to a magical place where nothing is quite as it seems. Born in New York, but living in Aba, Nigeria, twelve-year old Sunny is understandably a little lost. She is albino and thus, incredibly sensitive to the sun. All Sunny wants to do is be able to play football and get through another day of school without being bullied. But once she befriends Orlu and Chichi, Sunny is plunged in to the world of the Leopard People, where your worst defect becomes your greatest asset. Together, Sunny, Orlu, Chichi and Sasha form the youngest ever Oha Coven. Their mission is to track down Black Hat Otokoto, the man responsible for kidnapping and maiming children. Will Sunny be able to overcome the killer with powers stronger than her own, or will the future she saw in the flames become reality?
My Thoughts:
I read this one a loud with G. I had read this one a few years ago before the second one in the series had come out and so I decided this would be a fun one to read with G. He wasn't disappointed. I love how Sunny embodies both cultures of being a black American and also an Igbo-speaking Nigerian. We loved watching Sunny befriend Orlu and Chichi and Sasha and how they finally work together and use their magic to save the world. Okorafor is not afraid to treat kids like they know things. Kids can handle all sorts of stuff and she's excellent at bringing really hard things into her books without getting too graphic age inappropriate. Her world-building of magic is phenomenal and she definitely doesn't skim on her characters. We just started the second book Akata Warrior!
Hide and Seeker by Daka Hermon
Publisher's Summary:
One of our most iconic childhood games receives a creepy twist as it becomes the gateway to a nightmare world.
I went up the hill, the hill was muddy, stomped my toe and made it bloody, should I wash it?
Justin knows that something is wrong with his best friend. Zee went missing for a year. And when he came back, he was . . . different. Nobody knows what happened to him. At Zee's welcome home party, Justin and the neighborhood crew play Hide and Seek. But it goes wrong. Very wrong.
One by one, everyone who plays the game disappears, pulled into a world of nightmares come to life. Justin and his friends realize this horrible place is where Zee had been trapped. All they can do now is hide from the Seeker.
*I also read this one as part of my I Read Horror Year-Round Reading Challenge hosted by Michelle at Castle Macabre as part of the Monster Prompt.
My Thoughts:
This is a truly creepy little book about the Hide and Seek monster that will still children away if they break any of the rules. I don't remember playing hide and seek quite like this as a kid but it's a universal game, which really adds to the creep factor. The book also uses the monster to help the kids deal with grief and trauma. One of the reasons I love horror. It's a perfect genre to do that with.
Before the Ever After by Jaqueline Woodson
Publisher's Summary:
For as long as ZJ can remember, his dad has been everyone's hero. As a charming, talented pro football star, he's as beloved to the neighborhood kids he plays with as he is to his millions of adoring sports fans. But lately life at ZJ's house is anything but charming. His dad is having trouble remembering things and seems to be angry all the time. ZJ's mom explains it's because of all the head injuries his dad sustained during his career. ZJ can understand that--but it doesn't make the sting any less real when his own father forgets his name. As ZJ contemplates his new reality, he has to figure out how to hold on tight to family traditions and recollections of the glory days, all the while wondering what their past amounts to if his father can't remember it. And most importantly, can those happy feelings ever be reclaimed when they are all so busy aching for the past?
My Thoughts:
Heart-breaking! Woodson's way with words is beautiful and sad, poignant, for sure. What is the cost of loving American football so much? This is a look at the tragedies so many families have endured with regards to playing this very dangerous sport from the eyes of a child. It's a must-read.
I hadn't heard about the Horror Year Round Challenge. So many people love scary stories.
ReplyDeleteLove the horror both movies and books so it's been fun with the prompts to see the different kinds I can get to this year!
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