(no subject)

[skygiants]

Things Nnedi Okorafor's Akata Witch has in common with Harry Potter:

1. The protagonist is a kid with a difficult home life who discovers she was secretly born with magic powers and a dramatic magical family backstory that has been hidden from her all this time! TIME FOR MAGICAL SCHOOL
2. Who is also mysteriously good at a sport she's never really gotten to play
3. People with magic really do not care at all about people who don't have it, but we have to keep it secret from them for their own good, poor things
4. Preteen protagonists are the only ones who can defeat great evil for reasons that are never really clear, but that's not really relevant until the last chapter anyway
5. Relatedly, magic school teacher attitudes about endangering the lives of the students in their care are pretty much 'ehhhhh, if it doesn't kill you, it'll make you stronger!'
6. Half the worldbuilding is endlessly creative and tons of fun! Half of it makes no sense.
7. If you go through the right magical portalmatwhatchit you get to the awesome magical SHOPPING DISTRICT where you can buy sort of pretentious and potentially evil magical books
8. MAGICAL SPORTING EVENTS are the MOST IMPORTANT THING in the WORLD

Things Nnedi Okorafor's Akata Witch does not have in common with Harry Potter:

1. It is set in magic Nigeria and most of the main characters are Nigerian!
2. Except for the ones who are African-American transplants, and these different cultural upbringings have an actual impact on plot and characterization!
3. People's families are relevant to their lives even if they don't have magic powers!
4. When the protagonist mysteriously triumphs at a magical sporting event, it's also a GIRL POWER STORY about how GIRLS CAN PLAY SOCCER AS GOOD AS THE BOYS CAN SO THERE
5. While the romance is no better developed than anything in the Harry Potter books, there is at least never a beast in the protagonist's chest

This should give you a good idea if you are likely to enjoy the book. I did! (But my favorite is still The Shadow Speaker.)

Comments

[mneme]

:) I liked it a lot, and the Girl Power aspect of soccer worked well (also, she wasn't mysteriously good at soccer--she actually practiced for years before the book!)

I haven't read The Shadow Speaker, though.

[skygiants]

Yes, but practicing in the backyard with two other people is not the same thing as an 18-person game in which you are immediately voted MVP! :P

I really liked that the book points out the not-just-as-good-as-but-better dilemma for girls and sports, though.

[mneme]

Oh, yes, absolutely -- it's just that that's just talent; it's not -quite- as unbelievable as the "I've never heard of this sport, but I'm amazing at it" trope.

Yeah, the "not-just-as-good-as-but-better" dilemma is a big issue.

[opusculasedfera]

I have this on hold at the library and you are just making me more excited for it to come in! :DDD

[skygiants]

EXCELLENT. :D I look forward to your review!

[allchildren]

This gives me a good idea THAT I WILL LOVE THIS.

[skygiants]

I SUSPECT YOUR IDEA IS ACCURATE :D

[hebethen]

...

/quietly reserves

[skygiants]

filed under excellent life decisions

[katta]

I really ought to read that book - I loved The Shadow Speaker and Zahrah the Windseeker (though I was more lukewarm on Long Juju Man). Somehow I never seem to get around to reading new books anymore.

[skygiants]

I think I'd forgotten I'd ever heard of Long Juju Man! Which is exciting to me, not to be out of Nnedi Okorafor.

[katta]

It's not very long, so unless you have the same problem as me concerning new books, it should be a quick read.