Akata Witch

"Nnedi Okorafor writes glorious futures and fabulous fantasies. Her characters take your heart and squeeze it; her worlds open your mind to new things." -- Neil Gaiman, author of The Graveyard Book and American Gods Affectionately dubbed "the Nigerian Harry Potter," Akata Witch weaves together a heart-pounding tale of magic, mystery, and finding one's place in the world. Perfect for fans of Children of Blood and Bone! Sunny Nwazue lives in Nigeria, but she was born in New York City. Her features are West African, but she's albino. She's a terrific athlete, but can't go out into the sun to play soccer. There seems to be no place where she fits in. And then she discovers something amazing-she is a "free agent" with latent magical power. And she has a lot of catching up to do. Soon she's part of a quartet of magic students, studying the visible and invisible, learning to change reality. But as she's finding her footing, Sunny and her friends are asked by the magical authorities to help track down a career criminal who knows magic, too. Will their training be enough to help them combat a threat whose powers greatly outnumber theirs? World Fantasy Award-winning author Nnedi Okorafor blends magic and adventure to create a lush world. Her writing has been called "stunning" by The New York Times and her fans include Neil Gaiman, Rick Riordan, John Green, Ursula K. Le Guin, and many more! Raves for Nnedi Okorafor's writing: "There's more imagination on a page of Nnedi Okorafor's work than in whole volumes of ordinary fantasy epics." -Ursula K. Le Guin, award-winning author of A Wizard of Earthsea "The most imaginative, gripping, enchanting fantasy novels I have ever read!" -Laurie Halse Anderson, National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestselling author of Speak "I always loved science fiction, but I didn't feel I was part of it-until I read first Octavia Butler, and now Nnedi Okorafor." -Whoopi Goldberg "Highly original stuff, episode after amazing episode, full of color, life, and death. Nnedi Okorafor's work is wonderful!" -Diana Wynne Jones, award-winning author of The Chronicles of Chrestomanci "Jam-packed with mythological wonders." -Rick Riordan, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series "Okorafor's imagination is stunning." -The New York Times Book Review

Nnedi Okorafor (nnedi.com) is the first black woman to win the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel. She has also received Hugo and Nebula Awards. Born in the United States to two Igbo (Nigerian) immigrant parents, and raised in both countries, she holds a Ph.D in English and is a professor at SUNY Buffalo. She divides her time between Buffalo and the suburbs of Chicago, where she lives with her daughter Anyaugo (Anya). Nnedi's work has been published both in Africa and the United States, and ranges from early chapter books to adult short stories and longer fiction.