MIDDLE GRADE SPECULATIVE FICTION : Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun by Told Okogwu

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ABOUT THE BOOK

Black Panther meets X-Men in this action-packed and empowering middle grade adventure about a British Nigerian girl who learns that her Afro hair has psychokinetic powers—perfect for fans of Amari and the Night Brothers, The Marvellers, and Rick Riordan!

Onyeka has a lot of hair­—the kind that makes strangers stop in the street and her peers whisper behind her back. At least she has Cheyenne, her best friend, who couldn’t care less what other people think. Still, Onyeka has always felt insecure about her vibrant curls…until the day Cheyenne almost drowns and Onyeka’s hair takes on a life of its own, inexplicably pulling Cheyenne from the water.

At home, Onyeka’s mother tells her the shocking truth: Onyeka’s psycho-kinetic powers make her a Solari, one of a secret group of people with super powers unique to Nigeria. Her mother quickly whisks her off to the Academy of the Sun, a school in Nigeria where Solari are trained. But Onyeka and her new friends at the academy soon have to put their powers to the test as they find themselves embroiled in a momentous battle between truth and lies…

REVIEW

Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun presents readers with an exciting fantasy adventure about a young black girl who discovers to her astonishment that she has superpowers.  After saving her best friend, Cheyenne from almost drowning, with her hair, Onyeka learns that she is a Solari, and she and her mother have been in hiding for years after her father's disappearance in Nigeria.  This shocks Onyeka as she has wanted to know her father her whole life and she's long considered her stunning hair a disadvantage and target of bullies. 

When Onyeka & her mother return to Nigeria, Onyeka stays at the Academy of the Sun, a school where Solari's are trained to become Protectors for their country, while her mother leaves to find her father. As Onyeka struggles to fit in while adjusting to her newfound powers, she learns about her father and his legacy.  But Solari powers come with a cost that carries more danger than Onyeka and her new friends realize. As the stakes rise, it will be up to Onyeka, her aunt, and her friends both old and new to find a way  to the truth about her father and the Solari.

Onyeka's story resonates with themes of finding one's internal strength along with family and friends.  As Onyeka wrestles with her emotions and learns to use her powers, she realizes that facing her fears and finding her parents will require help beyond her own.  The author gives readers not only an exciting, edge-of-your seat story, but an empowering look at the value to be found inside all of us, and the power of working together.  

I really, really enjoyed this book.  This one is definitely going on my favorite's shelf and will be book talked to my students.  I especially loved the idea of Onyeka's superpower involving her hair, which many, including Onyeka herself, see as a weakness, a difference that makes her standout in ways she doesn't like. And I loved the friendships that Onyeka has with her original best friend, Cheyenne, as well as her new friendships with Niyi, Hassan, and Adanna.  Would that all kids had such friendships.  While the superpowers the kids have are pretty awesome, it was the way the kids learned to work together and value each other that I especially enjoyed.  Thanks to Tola Okogwa for writing such a fabulous story.

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