Abeni's Song (Abeni's Song #1)

by P Djèlí Clark (Author)

Reading Level: 6th − 7th Grade
Series: Abeni's Song

Abeni's Song by award-winning author P. Djèlí Clark is the enchanting beginning of an epic West African and African Diaspora-inspired fantasy adventure for middle-grade readers about a reluctant apprentice to magic and the stolen villagers she sets out to save.

On the day of the Harvest Festival, the old woman who lives in the forest appears in Abeni's village with a terrible message: You ignored my warnings. It's too late to run. They are coming.

Warriors with burning blades storm the village. A man with a cursed flute plays an impossibly alluring song. And everyone Abeni has ever known and loved is captured and marched toward far-off ghost ships set for even more distant lands. But not Abeni.

Abeni is magically whisked away by the old woman. In the forest, Abeni begins her unwanted magical apprenticeship, her journey to escape the witch, and her impossible mission to bring her people home. Abeni's Song is the beginning of a timeless, enchanting fantasy adventure about a reluctant apprentice, a team of spirit kids, and the village they set out to save.

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Kirkus

An original, enjoyable coming-of-age story.

ALA/Booklist

This sweeping epic fantasy takes beloved West African folklore and spins it into a tale of whimsy, horror, and adventure. Clark masterfully builds beautiful, authentic worlds and fills them with characters that are both endearing and flawed. This has the feel of a classic fantasy, something that will be passed down for generations to come.

Publishers Weekly

In this enchanting first installment of an epic fantasy series based in West African mythology, a small village's Harvest Celebration ends in disaster after a mysterious force destroys the town and kidnaps all the villagers--except 12-year-old Abeni. She's saved by Asha, an elderly witch who lives in the surrounding Jembe forest and has been warning the villagers of impending doom. Distraught and confused following the traumatic event, Abeni struggles to adjust to living with Asha and Obi, a man made of straw, in a home in the witch's secluded magical garden. Asha is secretive, only revealing that a great war involving spirits and mortals is brewing, that the villagers have likely boarded ghost ships far from the forest, and that Abeni must grow into her magical powers if she hopes to survive the ordeal. As Abeni experiences harrowing trials and tribulations, and recruits new fantastical and human friends, she's forced to reckon with her hidden abilities and her place in her village's shrouded history is this intricately detailed, riotously fun adventure by Clark (A Master of Djinn, for adults) that explores themes of loyalty, friendship, courage, and the power of belief in oneself. Ages 8-12. (July)

Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"Vibrant and utterly immersive, Abeni's story will sweep you away with its depth of fantastical wonder, tragedy, and coming-of-age adventure." —Amanda Foody, New York Times bestselling author of the Wilderlore Series

"A lush and magical fantasy that will leave readers craving more of Abeni's adventure."—Kwame Mbalia, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Tristan Strong series 

"Abeni's Song is simply unlike anything else in the field. An astonishing adventure that managed to thrill, scare, and delight, all while telling a story that is beautifully complicated and moving. Middle grade readers, meet your new favorite author." —Mark Oshiro, #1 New York Times bestseller co-author of The Sun and the Star (From the World of Percy Jackson)

P Djèlí Clark
Born in New York and raised mostly in Houston, P. DJÈLÍ CLARK (he/him) spent part of his childhood in Trinidad and Tobago, the homeland of his parents. He is the author of the novel A Master of Djinn and the novellas Ring Shout, The Black God's Drums, and The Haunting of Tram Car 015. He has won the Nebula, Locus, and Alex Awards and been nominated for the Hugo, World Fantasy, and Sturgeon Awards. His stories have appeared in online venues such as Tor.com, Daily Science Fiction, Heroic Fantasy Quarterly, Apex, Lightspeed, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and in print anthologies, including Griots, Hidden Youth, and Clockwork Cairo. He is also a founding member of FIYAH Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction and an infrequent reviewer at Strange Horizons.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781250825841
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Starscape Books
Publication date
April 30, 2024
Series
Abeni's Song
BISAC categories
JUV037000 - Juvenile Fiction | Fantasy & Magic
JUV058000 - Juvenile Fiction | Paranormal, Occult & Supernatural
Library of Congress categories
Adventure and adventurers
Magic
Adventure stories
Fantasy
Fantasy fiction
Action and adventure fiction
Novels

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