Akata witch

by Nnedi Okorafor

Paper Book, 2011

Status

Available

Publication

New York : Viking, 2011.

Description

Twelve-year-old Sunny Nwazue, an American-born albino child of Nigerian parents, moves with her family back to Nigeria, where she learns that she has latent magical powers which she and three similarly gifted friends use to catch a serial killer.

Media reviews

"Akata Witch" is a much-needed addition to the many titles featuring Caucasian protagonists — one that will appeal to readers who are interested in foreign cultures, tradition and beliefs, or those who live between cultures themselves.

User reviews

LibraryThing member aleahmarie
Akátá: A Nigerian term used by some African immigrants to the United States to describe African Americans and their descendants. Over time it has come to have derogatory connotations due to perceived tensions between some African immigrants and African Americans. [Source: Wikipedia]

Since she was
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born in New York to Nigerian parents, twelve-year-old Sunny is well aware that she's an akata. Now that her family has moved back to Nigeria, that and her albinism are facts her classmates won't let her forget. Finding out that she's also a witch, however, comes as a total surprise.

With the help of new friends, Sunny discovers that she's a "free agent," a person who possesses latent magical abilities. These magical folks refer to themselves as Leopards. The realization that Leopards not only exist, but that she also happens to be one, opens up a new and juju-filled world for Sunny. Her magical studies are three times as hard as her regular classes, that's to be expected. But Sunny is still shocked when she and her friends are assigned the most difficult assignment of all – to stop a serial killer.

Parts of “Akata Witch” read like a concise, African-style, Harry Potter series. Rather than a Knight Bus there's a Funky Train to transport Leopards to and fro. And non-magic folks aren't called Muggles, they're Lambs. But while these elements make the story feel familiar, it's clearly not. “Akata Witch” provides an imaginative sprinkling of magical realism in a locale that is largely ignored by the fantasy world. And Okorafor's leading ladies steal the show with their quick thinking and fortitude, something I love to see in young adult literature.
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LibraryThing member lycomayflower
This is the second book I've read by Okorafor... and it's the second time I've been completely underwhelmed. Akata Witch packs evidence of a pretty awesome imagination on the part Okorafor and I *love* that the the book is inspired by African mythology, beliefs, and legends rather than the Greek
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and Nordic inspiration so much fantasy written in English sports (not that I don't love that too--it's just nice to see something different take the stage). But the whole thing read as flat to me, from the characters to the setting to the incidents. It just entirely lacked the spark that makes a book work. I know I'm very much in the minority here, so I probably wouldn't let my review dissuade you if you're interested in the book, but I might be checking Okorafor off my list.
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LibraryThing member wealhtheowwylfing
Sunny has always been different. She's Nigerian, but was raised in America and has the pale coloring of an albino. And in adolescence, it turns out she's magic, as well. Although magic lets her play soccer in the sun and see wasps that create tiny fantastical scupltures, it also alerts her to grave
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danger. A magician named Black Hat is mutilating and sacrificing children, and only Sunny and her oha coven can stop him.

I like some components of this book much more than others. The background characters are great, from queenly Chichi to kind Orlu, and the magic is fantastic. When they pick the right juju knife, for instance, it feels like it's part of them. But Sunny herself felt flat to me. Ididn't really get her inner character--and what I did see, I didn't much like. She spends the majority of the final battle crying and telling her friends to give up. And the climactic battle is won with a very unsatisfying deus-ex-machina--Sunny just myseriously and randomly feels a wave of courage knows the exact spell to defeat the scariest Masquerade of them all, that even adult scholar-mages think is unstoppable.
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LibraryThing member crabbyabbe
4.5/5 To simply say that this book is a Nigerian Harry Potter would be to do it a disservice. Sunny is a complex character in her own right with troubles vastly different than HP. An albino who tries to get through each day without being bullied, Sunny's life drastically changes when she befriend
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Orlu and Chichi, who help plunge her into the world of the Leopard People, where your worst trait becomes your best asset. Unputdownable.
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LibraryThing member Tafadhali
Something about Okorafor's style never quite clicked for me, but the setting and world building in this book are fantastic. It was refreshing to find some contemporary young adult fantasy set outside of the US or UK.
LibraryThing member JLinfitt
Akata Witch is a story about a young 12 year old albino girl named Sunny Nwazue. Sunny has never felt like she’s fit in. As an albino she stands out with her bleached African features, light yellow hair, light skin, and hazel eyes. She is also considered both American and Igbo (an ethnic group
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from Nigeria), and thus not really either. She was born in Nigeria but grew up in New York and then, when she was nine, moved back to Nigeria. All this changes when she meets and befriends Orlu and Chichi. When they reveal their secret she learns about a hidden world of full of magic and danger that she does belong to.

Akata Witch is rich in Nigerian culture which provides a unique and interesting setting for this story of friendship, adventure and magic. It has a lot to offer to teens and tweens who can easily relate to characters who hide their true selves from the outside world but get to share it and their struggles of growing up with their close friends.

It is a Junior Library Guild Selection.
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LibraryThing member satyridae
I really enjoyed this fantastic tale of a young American Nigerian girl who discovers her special powers in a candle flame. She doesn't quite belong anywhere- born in the US of Igbo parents, moves back to Nigeria as an adolescent, and to top it off, she's albino. She meets up with some other kids
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who are... different, and otherworldly adventures ensue. There are elements of this story that moved too fast for me, and certain plot points that were a hair too tidy. Neither of these things interfered with my enjoyment of the story, though. I especially liked the African setting, and the descriptions of food made me want to try everything!
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LibraryThing member deirdrea
I loved it! A beautifully written story, with really interesting characters, a great plot and a beautifully realized and (to me) exotic setting. You will love this one if you liked Nancy Farmer's "The Ear, the Eye and the Arm." Great writer, great book.
LibraryThing member Sullywriter
A beautifully written, richly and vividly imagined fantasy set in Nigeria. Wonderful characters and a compelling story.
LibraryThing member JenneB
I like the world of this so much!
I love that in Nigerian witch society, the way you make money is by learning--when you learn something new it just falls out of the sky.

I liked it for the same reason I like Harry Potter--all the little details of how things work. And similarly to Harry Potter, I
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don't really care about the Evil MacGuffin that they have to defeat. But, y'know, glad they saved the world and all.
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LibraryThing member raschneid
So, first of all, holy crap, a fantasy novel about an albino girl in Nigeria that doesn't spend its time exoticizing albinism or Africa! (I could have simply written, holy crap, a fantasy novel about an albino girl in Nigeria, but the fact that it was done right made me really happy.)

This book's
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greatest strength is definitely the worldbuilding. I loved the magic and magical community in this book; Harry Potter comparisons can be made simply because both authors have a flair for inventing vivid details that make their worlds come alive.

Its plot is run-of-the-mill - girl on the cusp of adolescence discovers she's a witch and saves the world with her best friends. However, the author is aware of the tropes with which she's working, and she really does sell the coming-of-age story by making us appreciate how much the protagonist still does not know about her world by the end of the novel, and how much lies before her.

Along with the worldbuilding, the book's scope was probably my favorite thing about this novel - Okorafor's wisdom in realizing that a story about a twelve-year-old girl should not have a closed ending but should feel like there's so much more to come, even if there will be no sequels.
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LibraryThing member amanderson
Inventive, good story, likable characters; it's great to read a supernatural novel from a different cultural perspective than western Europe as the magical system was very different and interesting. I really enjoyed it. It's a YA book about a 12 year old albino American black girl born of Nigerian
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parents who now lives in Nigeria, and finds that she is one of the Leopard People, a witch basically, and starts to get tutored as such. There's also a serial killer, and she and her Leopard People friends must find the murderer.
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LibraryThing member paperloverevolution
Okorafor has a clear, sparse, restrained style which is quite distinct in the realm of young adult books, which tend to veer towards the ornate or overwrought. Some find the result flat, but I feel it gives her stories an appealing sense of realism - and with the subjects she tackles, no artificial
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melodrama is needed. 'Akata Witch' is another strong entry in her ongoing, linked series of books about the end of the world as we know it. Fans of her other books will be pleased to not only find more pieces of the larger puzzle, but also to be introduced to yet another strong heroine at the center of the story.
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LibraryThing member quantumbutterfly
Sunny and her family moved back to Nigeria a few years before the events of the book take place. One day Sunny discovers she is different. A Leopard Person, capable of doing magic. She forms a small coven around her, starts to learn (and is now in a society where knowledge is more valuable than
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money), and may have to deal with a serial killer going after young children in her area.
Nnedi has an incredible imagination and it almost reads like something from the Harry Potter universe, only using a West African modality instead of Hogwart's European magical model.
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LibraryThing member netmouse
This was my favorite book of 2011. Themes include Being Different (inside and out), Finding Friends, Learning Through Reading and Facing your Fears, as well as Saving the World with Magic.
I was particularly pleased by the author's description of a soccer match. I played soccer competitively for 8
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years, and she nailed it. Recommended to all readers.
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LibraryThing member LibrarianMaven
Like Harry Potter transposed to Nigeria, in the very best way possible. Coming into your heritage, witchcraft, best friends, and a powerful enemy combine with elements of Nigerian (Igbo and Efik) culture and folklore to create a wonderful, entertaining, and enlightening read.
LibraryThing member nnschiller
I really loved this book. I give it unreserved praise. Here's what stood out, while it is fresh in my mind. First: the characters were engaging and relatable. They appeared human: endearing for their foibles as much as their strengths. Second: the conflict was engaging and the resolution
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reasonable. Super-hero stories can be tricky, this one was managed well. Nnedi paced it VERY well. Third: it pointed to richer and deeper stories in many directions. This adult reader finds a lot of YA fails here. Okorafor seeds her work with hints and clues about music, history, culture, and politics. Not enough to make it a didactic novel, but enough to make a keen teen's head buzz with curiosity about Afro-pop, Biafra, and oil politics.

This is a triumph.
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LibraryThing member MelissaKlatt
Summary: The story of a young girl named Sunny who was born in the U.S., but lives in Nigeria. She is perceived as an outsider because of her English accent, even though she can speak her native language. She enjoys playing soccer, but can't stay in the dun very long because she was born albino and
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has very sensitive skin. Sunny meets a new friend named Orlu that helps Sunny reveal her true talent of jukju, as she is a Leopard Person, cpable of magic. She uses her new abilities and moves to a place where other Leopard people live and fights the evilness that arises in the story through her magic and strength.

Personal reflection: The idea that Sunny uses magic to try and save innocent lives taken in the leopard world shows students important concepts like determination, strength, and bravery. I liked the message of the story and the character of Sunny, because even though she is different, it ends up being a blessing in her life. This is important idea for students.

Class use: Text set for mystery fantasy, character building for not fitting in or not being part of the norm, read independently and compare Sunny's character before and after she realized she was a Leopard Person
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LibraryThing member srsharms
That was super fun! Great characterization, plenty of action, and an imaginative setting all made for a great read. There was a level of predictability that made it hard for me to enjoy everything that was going on with the characters — the romances, especially. I'm hoping they will reach a new
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level of sophistication in the next book. Can't wait!!
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LibraryThing member bell7
Twelve-year-old Sunny lives with her family in Nigeria, though she was born in Chicago. She's also albino, which leaves her very much a fish out of water. Then she meets two new friends, Orlu and Chichi, who introduce her to another world for people with special powers - people like her, the
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Leopard People.

Drawing on both fantasy school stories and Nigerian folklore, Okorafor writes a stellar fantasy for middle grades about three friends. A couple of times I wanted the plot to pick up a little or the stakes to feel higher, but part of that had to do with the young audience it's meant for and the simple fact that if it's too dark not many parents are going to allow kids to read it. Details about the training Sunny and her friends receive are fun and inventive and remind me a little of Harry Potter in the way her lessons would introduce her to more of this hidden culture of juju wielders. I'll certainly look for the sequel.
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LibraryThing member callmecayce
This was the first Okorafor book I ever read and I fell in love with both her characters and her writing almost immediately. I love the story of Akata Witch, but I especially love the seamless way she blends fantasy and reality together. I also like that the novel is set in Africa, but instead of
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exploiting the culture, she embraces it and plays upon the stereotypes and subverts them. While Sunny is the main character and wonderfully likable, she's also not the only character to capture our imagination. Okorafor does a wonderful job of building both her world and character in such a way that once you're deep into the book, you never want to read. I plan to read as much of her writing as I possibly can.
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LibraryThing member norabelle414
Sunny is an albino girl in Nigeria, and so she has always felt different from everyone else. But little did she know that she's actually a Leopard, magical humans that live among us unsuspecting Lambs. Two of her schoolmates introduce her to the Leopard world, and once she is initiated her albinism
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turns from a hindrance to a gift. But not everything is fun and games, because the Lamb newspapers are full of stories of a madman kidnapping and murdering children in Nigeria and Sunny and her friends are the only ones who can stop him.

The plot of this book leaves a little to be desired, but the world-building is AMAZING. Every fascinating detail is well-thought out, from a library full of magic books to a magical wrestling match to cute magical creatures only Leopards can see. I'm dying to read more and will be picking other books by Nnedi Okorafor ASAP. Highly, highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member dcoward
A very original fantasy that takes place in Nigeria. Sunny is the protagonist who has just found out she has magical abilities. She has to fight against prevalent sexism to find her place. She is joined by her friends Orlu, Chichi, and Sasha.
LibraryThing member amanda4242
Yes, this is another "chosen kid" book, but the Nigerian setting and Okorafor skillful telling make it a refreshing take on the old trope (which long predates Harry Potter). My only complaint about Akata Witch is that the climax is too rushed, but I really enjoyed the rest of it and will definitely
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read the sequel.

Received via First to Read.
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LibraryThing member BethYacoub
This was an awesome MG/YA fantasy that was steeped in the Otherworldly, ever elusive art of the Juju and other African mysticisms. Akata Witch was an engrossing Coming of Age tale of 4 African children (2 transplanted from America) who were immersed in the intricacies and secret nuances found
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primarily in Nigerian folklore. I love a good story based on a cultures' Mythology...especially ones that are completely foreign to me...you never know that you don't know something until you're exposed to the truth of things but what I NOW know (my apologies, I can't seem to stop saying that word at the moment) is that I am bewitched and that I have fallen hopelessly in love with this world! The book was about 4 young kids making what is essentially a Coven and the perils associated with their World. The MC is an Albino girl who learns of, as well as hones, her newfound powers in a refreshingly new (if such a thing can be called that wrt this genre that is oft times overly trope-ic...don't judge, it's a thing, I think) manner. The world building was phenomenal and incredibly imaginative BUT more importantly, it was undeniably and blessedly Unique!! The characters were endearing and perfectly humanly flawed (which I love love LOVE!). I adore a good yarn that has its characters actually working for their progress and growth... working to become worthy of a whole books' praise and notoriety. Even the tertiary characters were crafted with precision as well as being undeniably interesting. The whole book was addictive from the first chapter on and was in a voice & tone that I rarely come across... which again labels it as ridiculously refreshing! I am anxious to see what is in-store for our 4 young leading personalities and especially for our Free Agent/MC Sunny. I highly recommend this book and am (not so) patiently awaiting book #2!!

End of rambling...
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Awards

Locus Award (Finalist — Young Adult Novel — 2012)
Otherwise Award (Long list — 2011)
Locus Recommended Reading (Young Adult Book — 2011)

Language

Original publication date

2011

Physical description

348 p.; 22 cm

ISBN

9780670011964

Local notes

fiction
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