''Akata Witch'' (retitled ''What Sunny Saw in the Flames'' in Nigeria and the UK) is a 2011 fantasy novel written by Nigerian-American author

Nnedi Okorafor Nnedimma Nkemdili "Nnedi" Okorafor (formerly Okorafor-Mbachu; born April 8, 1974) is a Nigerian-American writer of science fiction and fantasy for both children and adults. She is best known for her ''Binti Series'' and her novels ''Who Fears ...

. It was nominated for the

Andre Norton Award The Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction (formerly the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy) is an annual award presented by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) to the ...

and it is the first novel in the ''Nsibidi Scripts Series'', where it is followed by two sequels ''

Akata Warrior ''Akata Warrior'' (retitled ''Sunny and the Mystery of Osisi'' in Nigeria and the UK) is a 2017 young adult fantasy novel by Nigerian American writer Nnedi Okorafor. It is a sequel to ''Akata Witch'' and the second book in The ''Nsibidi Scripts ...

'' and ''

Akata Woman ''Akata Woman'' is a 2022 young adult fantasy novel by Nigerian American author Nnedi Okorafor. it is the sequel to ''Akata Witch'' and ''Akata Warrior'' and the third book in ''The Nsibidi Script'' series which debuted on the ''New York Times'' ...

'' published in 2017 and 2022 respectively.

Background

Nnedi Okorafor based the novel in

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

culture, politics, cosmology,

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

, and tradition to create many of the entities and spirits in the novel.

Plot

Twelve-year-old Sunny Nwazue was born in America yet lives in Nigeria. She is Black and albino. She is a great athlete, yet she can't go out in the sun to play soccer. Sunny then discovers that she has magical abilities, which makes her a "free agent" in the magical community called the Leopard People in West Africa. As a free agent, she needs to learn about the magical community. Soon her magical teachers connect her with three other magical students to become a

quartet In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices and instruments. Classical String quartet In classical music, one of the most common combinations o ...

called a coven, which is a group of magical Leopard people assembled to pursue a purpose. The group is cultivated by leaders in the magical communities to try to capture a serial killer who also knows magic.

Characters

* Sunny Nwazue is an American-born Nigerian. Aged 12 and

albino Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and pink or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albino. Varied use and interpretation of the term ...

, Sunny loves to play soccer but is unable to spend long periods in the sun. Because of her pale skin and hair, people call her a witch. *Orlu is Sunny's classmate at school and a "Leopard Person" *Chichi is Orlu's friend who becomes close with Sunny. Chichi can see Sunny's magical abilities better than anyone else. *Sasha is another American-born Nigerian. He was sent to Nigeria by his parents as punishment for using his magic inappropriately. * Black Hat Otokoto is the main antagonist of the novel. A powerful witch, he targets children for his evil deeds.

Themes

The novel deals with themes of ethnicity, identity, and dealing with whatever gifts or curses life provides.

Publication history

The novel was published as ''What Sunny Saw in the Flames'' in both

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

and the UK; ''akata'' has a derogatory meaning in

dialects. The original edition's title is meant to face and criticize its derogatory meaning.

Reception

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

'' called the novel "ebulliently original." ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' recommended it as one of "7 great fantasy novels for teenagers," saying that Okorafor "weaves an enchanting spell in this book and its sequel." ''

The Los Angeles Times ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' said "in an increasingly globalized world, Okorafor's outsider perspective offers a refreshing Afro take on the popular coming-of-age fantasy genre." ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

recognized the book as one of the 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time, praising Okorafor's use of

folk beliefs and rituals. Okorafor's ''Akata'' novels have been met with resistance among religious conservatives in Nigeria, who argue that the novels glorify superstition and witchcraft.

Awards

''Akata Witch'' received the following awards and accolades: * 2019: American Library Association's (ALA) Top Ten

Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults The American Library Association's Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults, formerly Selected Audiobooks for Young Adults, is a recommendation list of audiobooks presented yearly by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) division. The Y ...

* 2012:

Amelia Bloomer Book List Rise: A Feminist Book Project, formerly known as the Amelia Bloomer Project and compiled by the American Library Association, is an annual list of books with significant feminist content that are intended for readers from birth to age 18. The Amel ...

* 2012: ALA

Best Fiction for Young Adults The American Library Association's Best Fiction for Young Adults, previously known as Best Books for Young Adults (1966–2010), is a recommendation list of books presented yearly by the YALSA division (Young Adult Library Services Association Th ...

* 2011: Nominated for the Andre Norton

Nebula Award The Nebula Awards annually recognize the best works of science fiction or fantasy published in the United States. The awards are organized and awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), a nonprofit association of profe ...

for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction The novel was also named an

Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential economi ...

best book of the year.

Sequels

The novel was followed by two sequels; ''

'', released in 2017 and ''

'' which was released in 2022.

References

External links

Akata Witch series
author's website * {{Nnedi Okorafor 2011 American novels American young adult novels Young adult fantasy novels Novels set in Nigeria Novels by Nnedi Okorafor Nigerian fantasy novels American fantasy novels 2011 Nigerian novels Viking Press books