Somadina

Gr 9 Up–The latest from one of literature’s most dynamic authors borrows lovingly from Igbo culture to tell the story of Somadina, a teen girl, and her twin brother, Jayaike; they come into opposing powers: hers dark and destructive, his light and life-giving. When Jayaike is kidnapped by a greedy hunter, Somadina sets out to rescue him, leaning into the help of her only friend and her mysterious grandfather and older sister, both formidable sorcerers. On her journey, she must grapple with the trauma her family has caused and the love she still keeps for them, the destruction left behind from a generations-old war, and her overpowering loneliness. Emezi has such a hold on language: no word is excessive, packing immense potency in the way the sentences are assembled. This lends itself well to Somadina’s point of view, for even as she experiences extremes, she holds so tightly to her sense of self-control, daring the world to push her to break. This is a high fantasy for young adults that comes in with a shorter page count, a boon for librarians appealing to hesitant readers.