Children of the quicksands

Title:

Author:

Summary:

In a remote Nigerian village, thirteen-year-old Simi is desperate to uncover a family secret. Ajao is nothing like Lagos -- no cells phones, no running water or electricity. Not a single human-made sound can be heard at night, just the noise of birds and animals rustling in the dark forest outside. Her witchlike grandmother dispenses advice and herbal medicine to the village, but she's tight lipped about their family history. Something must have happened, but what? Determined to find out, Simi disobeys her grandmother and goes exploring only to find herself sinking in the red quicksand of a forbidden lake and into the strange parallel world that lies beneath. It must have been a dream… right? Wrong. Something isn’t right. Children are disappearing and it’s up to Simi to discover the truth. -- Amazon.

General Note:

First published in the United Kingdom in 2021.

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

285 pages ; 22 cm

Genre:

Fantasy fiction.

Subject Term:

Teenage girls -- Juvenile fiction.

Family secrets -- Juvenile fiction.

Imaginary places -- Juvenile fiction.

Geographic Term:

Nigeria -- Juvenile fiction.

Publisher:

Chicken House : Scholastic Inc.,

Publication Date:

2022

2021

ISBN:

9781338781922

Publication Information:

New York : Chicken House : Scholastic Inc., 2022.

Call Number:

J TRAORE

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003628511	Juvenile Fiction	TRAORE	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

A richly imagined magical adventure set in West Africa by a prize-winning new voice in children's writing, Children of the Quicksands introduces readers to Yoruba myths and legends while showcasing the wealth of culture, traditions, adventure, joy, pride, and love found in Nigeria.

Determined to find out, Simi disobeys her grandmother and goes exploring only to find herself sinking in the red quicksand of a forbidden lake and into the strange parallel world that lies beneath. It must have been a dream... right?

Wrong. Something isn't right. Children are disappearing and it's up to Simi to discover the truth.

Author Notes

Efua Traoré is a Nigerian-German author who grew up in a small town in Nigeria. For as long as she can remember, her head was filled with little stories, but it was not until much later that she began to write them down. Children of the Quicksands is her debut novel.

Reviews (1)

Publisher's Weekly Review

When 13-year-old Simi travels from Lagos to the rural Nigerian village of Ajao to spend her summer holidays with Iyanla, the estranged grandmother she's never met, she is not sure how she's going to last two full months without electricity or running water, let alone TV, internet, or phone. But Simi soon discovers that beneath its sleepy surface, Ajao is a town brimming with magic--and a mystery around the forest on the edge of town, in which children seem to disappear. As Simi begins to unravel the tragedies and secrets surrounding Ajao, her mother's never-discussed past, and the forbidden lake in the forest's heart, a mystical golden bird tempts more and more children to stray from home. Alongside her wise and esteemed grandmother and a few new friends, Simi searches for answers and bravely risks it all to make Ajao--and her family--whole again. Sleekly weaving together otherworldly occurrences, elements of the hero's journey, and Yoruba legend in vivid, place-centered prose, this action-packed debut from Traoré will keep readers engaged in the mysteries of Ajao. An author's note and glossary of Yoruba words conclude. Ages 8--12. (July)