Since this is fiction, the author does take liberties with the culture and the idea of ”juju” or black magic, but Nnedi Okorafor sure has kindled in me a newfound interest in Africa. Without these two elements, there would be no story, and when beliefs are introduced, I, for one, pay great attention. It is original, because the author relies mainly on culture + magic to tell this tale. There is a beautiful sense of community when it comes to the Leopard People. Unlike the summary lets on, Sunny and her new friends spend quite a small amount of time tracking the serial killer, seeing that as Leopard People, they are juggling two schools and they each must learn to understand their abilities and put them to good use, especially the new member-Sunny. But when Sunny is introduced to a secret society of ‘‘juju’’ users, she realizes there might be a reason why she looks so different from her peers-she possess powers that need developing.

Sunny is albino, which is just her luck since she wishes she could play soccer.

Not only is it a refreshing piece of literature that will appeal to fantasy fans and those who are looking for more culture + magic in their reads, it is so much more surprising, structured and well written than Binti from the same author, so definitely do not let that one influence whether you give this a chance or not. Will their training be enough to help them against a threat whose powers greatly outnumber theirs? But just 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. Soon she’s part of a quartet of magic students, studying the visible and invisible, learning to change reality. And then she discovers something amazing-she is a “free agent” with latent magical power.

There seems to be no place where she fits in. She’s a terrific athlete, but can’t go out into the sun to play soccer. Her features are West African, but she’s albino. Sunny Nwazue lives in Nigeria, but she was born in New York City. Genres & Themes: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Magic, Culture, Friendship, Secret Society

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