Akata Witch

Akata Witch

• Genre: Fiction; young adult fantasy
• Originally Published: 2011
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile HL590L; grades 7-9
• Structure/Length: 20 chapters; approx. 349 pages; approx. 8 hours, 49 minutes on audio
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: Twelve-year-old Sunny, a Nigerian American girl living in Nigeria, is a person with albinism who feels like she doesn’t fit in anywhere. When she learns she has a powerful magical ability, Sunny’s reality shifts, just like the reality she’s being taught to manipulate. She finds herself with a community and a place to belong, with friends who are also learning magic. When they’re tasked to catch a career criminal who also knows magic, Sunny and her friends must rely on all they’ve been taught—and on themselves.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Ableism, ableist slurs, misogyny, child mutilation, murder, bullying

Nnedi Okorafor, Author

• Bio: Born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1974 to Igbo Nigerian parents; Nigerian American science fiction and fantasy writer for children and adults; nationally known tennis and track star in high school; diagnosed with scoliosis at age 13; underwent spinal fusion surgery at age 19; lost the ability to walk, but regained it with the use of a cane after intense physical therapy; went to college at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Attended Michigan State University and earned a master’s degree in journalism; earned a PhD in English from University of Illinois, Chicago; 2001 graduate of the Clarion Writers Workshop; writing is classified as Africanfuturism and Africanjujuism and heavily influenced by her Nigerian heritage; honored with multiple awards, including the Hugo Award, Nebula Award, Eisner Award, and World Fantasy Award; considered among the third generation of Nigerian writers
• Other Works: Binti (2015); Akata Warrior (2017); Ikenga (2020); Akata Woman (2022)
• Awards: Locus Award Nominee (2011); Nebula Award Finalist (2012); ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults (2012)