Akata Witch

I've been meaning to read Akata Witch since I checked a library copy in a few years back with a Post-It stuck to the cover singing its praises. Whoever that patron was, they were right. Akata Witch is magical. By the author of the adult sci fi novella [b:Binti 25667918 Binti (Binti, #1) Nnedi Okorafor https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1433804020l/25667918.SY75.jpg 45491127], Akata Witch is middle grade fantasy following a preteen named Sunny. Sunny is many things, but she struggles to fit anywhere neatly. She's lived in both the US and Nigeria, putting the phrase African American in a new light. She's Black but albino, meaning she's simultaneously defined by melanin and lack thereof. And she's a Leopard Person in a family of Lambs, meaning she has powers and abilities no ordinary human can harness, but wasn't born into the support most Leopard People grow up surrounded by. Sunny embodies so many things at once that she's often excluded for not being “enough” of any one thing. I was fascinated by how Okorafor portrayed disability. Lots of stories made for children address difference, but Akata Witch is not about managing or overcoming things like albinism and dyslexia. What is disability in Lamb society is ability in Leopard society. Leopards celebrate diagnoses Lambs ridicule. They are sources of strength and talent and indicate future prosperity. I'm still working out how I feel about Sunny not needing accommodations for albinism after discovering her powers, but it's an interesting perspective regardless. While incredibly whimsical, this book is often also gruesome and scary, especially for the age group. I think that's intentional—sometimes children are faced with trials they shouldn't have to endure. I do wish that the adults in the story had been kinder to the children. This choice might be just as intentional, and maybe I'm just sensitive. But I like seeing young characters met with patience and understanding. Anyway, if you like the [b:Percy Jackson 28187 The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1) Rick Riordan https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1400602609l/28187.SY75.jpg 3346751] series, the [b:Nevermoor 34219873 The Trials of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor, #1) Jessica Townsend https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1573171204l/34219873.SX50.jpg 55271407] series, [b:Children of Blood and Bone 34728667 Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orïsha, #1) Tomi Adeyemi https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1516127989l/34728667.SX50.jpg 55911580], or [b:Pet 38612739 Pet Akwaeke Emezi https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1550603866l/38612739.SY75.jpg 60224408], try Akata Witch. Now I really want pepper soup and a wasp artist.