"Koku Akanbi and the Heart of Midnight" by Maria Motunrayo Adebisi is a vibrant and magical journey that delves deep into African culture, blending fantasy with real-world issues. The story follows Koku, a teenager grappling with his identity, heritage, and the challenges of living with sickle cell disease. Adebisi's narrative is a powerful testament to the importance of representation and understanding one's roots.

Themes and Highlights
1. Representation and Cultural Identity: The novel emphasizes the significance of seeing oneself reflected in history and culture. Koku's realization of his cultural heritage's importance is a poignant reminder of the value of representation.
2. The Struggle with Sickle Cell: the author doesn't shy away from portraying the realities of living with a long-term condition like sickle cell, making Koku's character more relatable and authentic.
3. Magic and African Mythology: The book is rich with elements of African mythology, particularly the influence of the Orishas, adding depth and uniqueness to the fantasy genre.
4. Exploration of Loss and Belonging: Koku's journey is marked by a sense of loss and a quest for belonging, themes that resonate deeply with the reader.
5. Humour and Relatability: Despite the heavy themes, the book is laced with humour and relatable moments, making it a delightful read. This is evidences in the number of quotes in the full blog post. And the new curses I've picked up.

Koku's character is beautifully developed, showcasing his struggles, resilience, and growth. His journey from feeling like an outsider to finding his place in the world is both inspiring and heart-warming. The supporting characters, each with their unique quirks and backgrounds, add richness to the story.

"Koku Akanbi and the Heart of Midnight" is a essential reading for anyone looking for a fantasy novel that is not only entertaining but also culturally enriching and thought-provoking. Adebisi has crafted a world where magic and reality converge, creating a narrative that is as educational as it is enchanting. This book is a celebration of African culture, the magic within, and the journey to self-discovery.
A perfect 5 star read.

So much to love about this book.

An ordinary boy, who also lives with sickle cell disease, is catapulted into a fantastical world, where days lasts much longer than they should and night barely lasts long enough. And this ordinary boy, Koku, discovers he is the chosen one to break this curse of everlasting day and bring night back after accidentally releasing a demon at the British Museum and being sent to visit his family in Africa.

On his journey he will make new friends, each so uniquely different and full of life and magic. You won't help but fall in love with them, and wish you could just reach out and hug each one. Koku also makes the funniest commentary, adding a freshness and a contemporary feel that so often middle grade fantasy leaves you wanting.

Inspired by West African mythology, the book is so imaginative, from ancient tribes to mermaids, demons and magical nature. It's hard to decide what wins: the worldbuilding or the brilliant characterisation. Maria Motunrayo Adebisi has simply nailed both!

Question: What is a tribe?

Read this exhilarating, debut middle grade fantasy from Maria Motúnráyò Adébísí and discover the answer alongside young teens, Kòkú, Moremi and Osoosi, as they venture to the heart of Jujuland on a quest to save The Night Stone.

I was swept away by the originality of this novel, in particular the unique use of language in a book aimed at the upper middle grade readership; 10-14 years of age. The author has infused this story with her Nigerian heritage, and through the first person narrative of Kòkú, she blends London teen slang with the Yoruba spoken in the fictional country of his birth, Olórí. This added such richness and rhythm to the narrative, it propelled me into the mythical African country and grounded the action firmly in its exotic setting. As for the action, there is just so much to enjoy. Kòkú begins the story on an end of summer term school trip to the British Museum, where he somehow manages to release a demon from an artefact taken from a West African country by a European explorer. This is not Kòkú’s only problem. He is a boy who is very small for his age, an effect of the sickle cell anaemia he has been born with, he appears to be the victim of bullying and clearly has low self-esteem although he deflects negative attention with some excellently witty ripostes. He is an orphan, with fragmented memories of his mother and the place of his birth, and is now living in London with Uncle Tunji, who rapidly packs him off to Olórí for the summer holidays.

He arrives into the care of Mama Oti, who looked after him in his very early childhood. In a very clever piece of narrative, Kòkú arrives on the day of the Masquerade Festival, a grand ceremony which allows Mama Oti and a moody teenager in her care, Moremi, to explain the mythology, magic, tribal system and politics of Olórí in a condensed scene. I thought that this was a wonderful way to explain the fantasy world, resulting in a book which is shorter than a lot of speculative fiction and therefore more appealing for many children who are sometimes daunted by traditional 450+ page fantasy novels. Additionally, the book includes eye-catching, animé-style graphics throughout, by Simone Douglas, which add to the enjoyment of reading. As he watches the ceremony in the blazing heat of a parched land in which the sun only sets for an hour a day, Kòkú learns that the ruling Ògún tribe want to find and destroy a mythical stone known as The Heart of Midnight, which will destroy night time forever, as well as the magical and natural creatures which rely on night. To his disbelief, as the last survivor of the Olókun tribe, Kòkú discovers that it is his destiny to venture into Jujuland to save the sacred stone.

"There was no way I had more power than the Chosen Ones. They could walk into flames, summon the rain to fall, or munch a bunch of knives and turn into Iron Man. I couldn’t even join in on Sports Day at school."
p87

With Kòkú struggling to believe that he is equipped for such a mission, and accompanied by capricious martial arts expert Moremi and hyperactive shape shifter Osoosi, who spends much of her time as a hyena, the questers must face a terrifying collection of foes. As they confront their own hidden fears and secret motivations, as well as a teenage assassin with a soul-swallowing sword and his iron-clad henchmen, the three heroes begin to build bonds of trust, belonging and self-belief. Very movingly, in a novel so rich in layers of language, they discover the level of bonding which releases feelings too deep to express in words.

This is a story about embracing your heritage, finding your unique place in the world and believing in your self-worth and Kòkú, Moremi and Osoosi demonstrate this growth as the story progresses. I also read into the text a theme of overcoming fear of the unknown by listening and learning to understand that which is different to our own lived experience. Thus, Kòkú Àkànbí and the Heart of Midnight, does what many great children’s book do, in simultaneously educating and entertaining. I am sure that children of West African heritage will be thrilled to see heroic child protagonists who look and sound like them, and for those of us who have a different background it provides insight and fosters empathy. One final point that I must make, from my professional role as a health librarian, is that I was intrigued to see the symptoms of sickle cell anaemia described throughout the narrative. There is a desire throughout the health service to increase levels of health literacy in all sections of society, and I would highly recommend this book to primary and secondary schools libraries, as well as to public libraries as part of their health and wellbeing offer, as much as for its entertainment value.

And the answer to the question posed at the start: Everything!

The book I never knew I was WAITING for! A heart-pounding fantasy thriller with magic, mythology, and humour. The VOICE is just incredible - I love the mix of London slang and Yoruba. This is right up there as one of my books of the YEAR (and it has been an exceptional year for middle grade books).

I love this book for a number of reasons. Firstly, I really enjoyed the fantasy story line. Secondly, I loved the representation of a child with sickle cell and the fact that the story is a journey to accepting who you actually are and not wishing to become someone you're not. Finally, one of the things I enjoyed most about it was the characters different voices and the way the author mixed phrases of Yoruba with London slang and more formal English. A big thing in the curriculum for children in Year 5 and 6 is around switching between different tones and voices in a story and this book does it seamlessly. I think it would be perfect to use in the classroom when teaching this but also I feel that the storyline and tone create would engage a lot of children who are reluctant readers. I am definitely speaking to our Literacy Lead about putting this on our curriculum.

Really enjoyed this. This book deserves a big audience. one of the best MG fantasy in recent times. Very imaginative. Think of the best summer adventure you’ve had. In this story, thirteen-year-old orphan Koku is sent to Olori in West Africa after he accidentally releases a demon on a trip to the British museum. In Olori, he is entrusted with a mission to restore night. Assisting him in this mission are two side-kicks—a short-tempered martial artist and a shape shifter. The stakes are high, the magic is fascinating and adventure’s calling!

This book is set in a mythical West African country,with a feeling that it is related to Nigeria because of the links to Yoruba and Igbo cultures. The central character returns to a homeland that he has no memory of and finds himself totally out of his depth. Discovering that magic is real and that he is full of magic really freaks him out and all he wants is to be cured from the Sickle Cell Anemia that he suffers from. What a fascinating and very different take on this mystical tale. the language is fascinating, with its mix of English, Yoruba and modern slang. The only query I have is about how dated will the slang become and will many readers understand the meanings. Overall this is a great addition to stories set in this part of the world.