Image: Hachette/ Little, Brown
Happy Monday. I hope you had a terrific weekend. Mine was again not as productive as I would've hoped. Middle Grade Monday features The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander. Eleven-year-old Kofi Offin has a pretty good life in Upper Kwanta. He is anticipating his manhood ceremony, is gently teased by his older brother, doted on by his mother and loves his grandfather's stories. He is a strong swimmer, loves nothing more than swimming in the river near his home and is determined to beat his overbearing, bullying cousin in a race. At school, he's learning the Queen's English and is punished when his school master overhears him speaking his tribal language. He also has a best mate and a crush on Ama. His idyllic life is turned upside down when his brother inadvertently kills an opponent from Lower Kwanta in an annual wrestling match. The victim was the king's nephew, and he demands retribution. When the courts decide that it was an accident, the king threatens revenge.
Revenge comes when Kofi and his brother are kidnapped and brought to the coast of western Africa. Mr. Alexander's historical verse novel, the first of a planned trilogy is utterly riveting from page one. The rich language evokes a myriad of emotion from warmth to humor to terror to despair as Kofi faces the door of no return. This important novel about the Middle Passage belongs in every school, public and classroom library. It is outstanding and I cannot wait for the next installment. I loved reading this one with my ears because the narrator was outstanding.
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