ZAHRAH THE WINDSEEKER

A girl ventures into a forbidden jungle to save her friend in this botanically creative fantasy. Thirteen-year-old Zahrah lives on a planet where all technology from lights to computer networks is comprised of live plants. But only Zahrah has plants growing in her hair; they’ve been there since birth and show that she’s dada (magical). Supportive parents and best friend Dari can’t assuage Zahrah’s pain at being taunted about it. However, when Dari and Zahrah venture into the Forbidden Greeny Jungle and a poisonous snake bites Dari, only Zahrah has the courage to seek the antidote. She walks over 300 miles into the lush, terrifying jungle bursting with fantastical plants and creatures. Completion of her quest requires learning to fly, a dada ability that she’s been slowly mastering. Okorafor-Mbachu leans on exclamation points for emphasis and clichés for morality; however, bursts of humor, exotic flora and fauna and the unusual combination of Nigerian-based culture with children’s fantasy make this worth the read. (Fantasy. 9-12)