In Nnedi Okorafor’s captivating fantasy novel Akata Witch, first published in 2011, knowledge takes center stage. Sunny Nwazue, the main protagonist, grapples with her dual identity as an albino girl born in America but living in Nigeria. Her unique physical appearance makes her a subject of ridicule and a victim of bullying. At the beginning of the book, she sees a vision inside a candle: the end of the world. Without a full understanding, this vision only confuses and scares her. She soon discovers that she belongs to magical Leopard People and begins to read the “Fast Facts for Free Agents” book. Through the book and various adventures, she is awakened to a part of herself that was unknown to her previously. She later joins three other Leopard people to bring down Black Hat Otokoto, a corrupt serial killer whose misuse of knowledge led to his demise. I like Akata Witch because of its portrayal of knowledge: it enlightens and empowers people to achieve great things. However, it can also lead to self-destruction if used with evil intentions, such as greed for wealth and power. Knowledge, as portrayed in the book, is a double-edged sword that could be very powerful if used properly but can also cause great harm. The theme of knowledge weaves throughout the story. Sunny’s journey is one of empowerment and self-discovery. As she delves into magical texts and faces life-altering challenges, she learns to embrace her unique identity. Her physical appearance, once a source of ridicule, becomes a powerful tool. The narrator uses a series of events to describe how she becomes more confident and courageous. For example, the first time she sees the slippery bridge to Leopard Knocks, she is too scared to cross. Her later crossing of the bridge comes naturally and liberating, summoning her spirit face and accompanying music. With the newfound confidence, she stands up for herself and wins a fight against Jibaku, a school bully. She goes from a bullied, shy, pathetic, and isolated child with low self-esteem into a confident warrior. The best illustration of how knowledge empowers Sunny to garner the inner strength to defeat the most powerful evil enemy occurs in the battle with Ekwensu at the climax of the novel. In this final battle, Sunny has an epiphany – a sudden complete understanding of her calling and destiny – that knowledge from all her experience empowered her with courage and unimaginable power to defeat Ekwensu. While knowledge is powerful, it does not equate with wisdom and making the right choices. When used for personal vengeance or greed, knowledge leads to severe negative consequences. Both Sunny and her friend Chichi have faced discipline after they misused their knowledge and spiritual capabilities for petty vengeance. Black Hat Otokoto, the murderous and psychotic main antagonist of the book, is exceedingly hungry for wealth and power. Otokoto’s abuse of knowledge turns him into a twisted serial killer, which leads to his own destruction. As a reader, I connected with Sunny’s struggles. Like her, I have questioned my own identity: Am I Asian? Am I American? The book resonated with my dual heritage, emphasizing the importance of embracing both sides. It deepened my empathy for marginalized kids who navigate complex identities and face special challenges. Akata Witch invites us to explore our own calling and hidden strengths. While defeating supernatural enemies might not be our reality, the journal of self-discovery remains universal. So, my fellow readers, open Akata Witch, dive into its magical world, wield knowledge wisely, and uncover our inner magic! Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor. Speak, 2017. Buy the book here and help support Stone Soup in the process!
fantasy
Keeper of the Lost Cities Book 1, Reviewed by Nova, 11
I first read Keeper of the Lost Cities on October of 2020, for the Stone Soup Book Club. I had nothing to read, and the book was in my favorite genre: adventure fantasy. I had previously enjoyed many fantasy series: Harry Potter, Wings of Fire, How to Train Your Dragon, Artemis Fowl, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Percy Jackson, of course. Basically, 90% of my personal library is just adventure fantasy. And so I thought, Well, why not? It’s not like anything bad could come of trying out a new fantasy book. Little did I know I was not only right, but I would develop a massive obsession with every aspect of Keeper of the Lost Cities. The protagonist of Keeper of the Lost Cities is a girl named Sophie. At the start of the story, Sophie is an outsider, amazingly smart with a photographic memory, and she has just been invited to Yale University at twelve years old—but she has a secret. Sophie can read minds. She always knew she was strange, but soon finds out that she is an elf in a human world. Another elf, an older boy named Fitz, introduces Sophie to the Elvin world. Sophie has to come to grips with the fact that her human parents and little sister cannot be her real family, because she is an elf. Worse, she must leave her human family and her pet behind when she goes live with the elves. Sophie has many adventures in the scattered estates and cities the elves call The Lost Cities. She finds out more about her powers of telepathy, meets a goblin and lots of gnomes, learns to use a “leaping crystal,” and even fights against kidnappers. Keeper of the Lost Cities is the first book in a series of ten. One odd detail about the numbering of the series is that the tenth book is labeled “Book 9,” because the ninth book is labeled “Book 8.5.” All other books have regular numbers. I have just finished Book 9, and it is a major rollercoaster of emotions, overflowing with revelations that tie into previous books. Every time a question is answered, ten more are raised—but more on that later. I would probably recommend Keeper of the Lost Cities to ten-year-olds and up, because there is plenty of blood, gore, pain, and cruelty. I would not recommend it to people who throw up or have nightmares easily. To be honest, on the outside, you would not think of Keeper of the Lost Cities as much different from any other fantasy book, complete with goblins, trolls, ogres, dwarves, gnomes—and elves, of course. But what makes Keeper of the Lost Cities different from most other fantasy series is its riveting plot. It shows you what you are supposed to think, then says it just in case you missed it, and two chapters later, when you are positive you know what is going on, it reveals that the total opposite is true. Shannon Messenger does not just tell you the story, she makes you feel like you are experiencing it, without holding anything back. Keeper of the Lost Cities is emotional, and jarring, and soothing, and chock-full of sadness, and joy, and anger, and love, and the best part is that when you read the book, you can feel the main character’s emotions as well as sensations. Keeper of the Lost Cities is deep, yet light, and humorous, yet tear-jerking, and this might just be me, but flipping through its pages, lost in the story’s embrace, Keeper of the Lost Cities feels like an old friend, there to comfort me and help me through whatever I’m going through, or just make me laugh, or put a smile on my face. That’s why Keeper of the Lost Cities is my favorite book series of all. Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger. Aladdin Paperbacks, 2013. Buy the book here and help support Stone Soup in the process!
Stone Soup Author Interview: Tristan Hui
Stone Soup contributor Lena Aloise, 12, talks with Stone Soup contributor and winner of the Stone Soup Book Contest 2020 Tristan Hui, 14, about her novel The Other Realm, published on September 1st, 2021. The two also talk about the value of Stone Soup, the nature of inspiration, and the importance of writing as a means of exploring foreign concepts. If you’d prefer a more streamlined video, take a look at Tristan’s book page. 0:20 — How did you first get involved with Stone Soup 1:11 — When submitting to the magazine, would you say you prefer to submit writing, art, or both? 1:57 — What do you feel was the most important skill you learned from the Writing Workshop 2:40 — Where do you get your inspiration, more specifically for your novel The Other Realm? 4:22 — Is there a specific play or theater production from which you draw inspiration? 5:35 — Are characters such as Azalea Morroe inspired by people in your own life? 7:09 — Has writing always been a part of your life/how long have you been writing? 8:39 — Was The Other Realm the first novel/long form fiction piece you’d ever written? 9:28 — What was the biggest challenge you faced while writing The Other Realm? 11:31 — What advice would you give your past self in order to help yourself get through the hard parts? 12:41 — What was your favorite part about writing The Other Realm? 14:01 — Not including your revising processes, how long did it take you to write your novel from start to finish? 15:41 — What would you say is the primary thing you want readers to take away from The Other Realm? 16:48 — If you could tell somebody about Stone Soup, what would you say?
