You are viewing your 1 free article this month. Login to read more articles.
Hachette Children’s signs 'dazzling' middle-grade fantasy series inspired by African mythology
Hachette Children’s Group (HCG) has snapped up two epic middle-grade fantasy novels inspired by West African mythology, written by debut author Maria Motúnráyọ̀ Adébísí.
Tig Wallace, previously senior commissioning editor at HCG, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Lydia Silver at Darley Anderson Children’s Book Agency. The lead editor at HCG will be Polly Lyall Grant, senior commissioning editor.
Described as “full of action and powerful magic”, Kòkú Àkànbí and the Heart of Midnight — featuring comic book-style illustrations by Simone Douglas — will be published on the 3rd August 2023 and the sequel in the summer of 2024.
The synopsis reads: “After 13-year-old Kòkú accidentally releases a demon on a school trip, his uncle sends him away to Olori, the West African land of origins. Kòkú thinks life can’t get any worse – his sickle cell anaemia has always left him feeling unwanted and powerless, and now he’s being parcelled off to a country he barely remembers.
“But when Kòkú arrives, he finds himself in a land of endless sun and powerful magical tribes, and on the wrong side of a war. The ruling Ogún tribe is trying to destroy the night, and the magical creatures who need it, for ever. As the last living descendant of the darkness-controlling Olókun tribe, Kòkú is the only one who can stop them. Kòkú must venture into the dangerous jungle of Jujuland to master his powers if he is ever to restore night to Olori.”
Grant said: “Maria’s descriptions of Olori, and the hidden world of Jujuland blew us all away at HCG. We can’t wait for young readers to be captivated by this incredible setting and the story’s dynamic characters with their showstopping powers. The comic book style illustrations enhance the ambitious world Maria has created. The best bit? It’s just the beginning for Kòkú Àkànbí!”
Motúnráyọ̀ Adébísí said: “I can’t wait for you to meet Kòkú! I wanted to centre that cheeky kid that plays their music too loud at the back of the bus in their own massive adventure. This book is about a lot of things; soul swallowing swords, man-eating monsters, vengeful mermaids, and a forbidden forest, but it’s mostly about finding your home in people who see you for who you are, a tribe where you belong.”
