Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor

Speak, 384 pages, $10.99 (c2011)

Ages 12-up

If you were looking for the West African version of Harry Potter, look no further. “Akata Witch” is about a magical community mostly unknown to the Lamb (Muggle) people. Twelve-year-old Sunny discovers she is different. That is to say, she is even more different than her albino appearance has made her. Born in the United States, where she lived for her first nine years, she and her parents moved to Nigeria, her parents’ home country. She is Igbo, so she knows that language as well as English. What could make her stand out more? Ah, yes, her magic.

Sunny is academically strong, but she has made playground enemies of many children. Her albino looks automatically beget hostility. Still, she makes friends with Orlu, another smart kid in her class. Through him, Sunny meets the mysterious Chichi. Chichi may be another child or she may not. She eyes Sunny appraisingly and introduces her to her mother. Chichi’s mother lives in a simple hut. On the outside Chichi and her mother look poor, but there is something powerful about them. Sunny soon learns that Orlu and Chichi are the gateway to another world, one in which her latent powers begin to arise.

At the beginning of the book, Sunny has an apocalyptic vision. It’s easy to write it off as some sort of waking nightmare, until the magic community gives more credence to what she saw. Thus begins a quest for Sunny to discover and tame her powers, find her juju knife (magic wand), and receive a mentor-teacher, all while battling the strong force that is killing children and seeking to rip the outer world apart.

This first adventure — Nnedi Okorafor has written a follow-up book, “Akata Warrior” (c2017) — introduces the group of four children (Sunny, Orlu, Chichi, and Sasha) who will stand as a force against evil.

What attracts children and adults to the Harry Potter series is its foundation of goodness, kindness, love, and acceptance of what is different. Those also hold for this book. Also, there is danger and a need for courage and independent thinking. Great elements, good book.