Where I got it: Inter-library Loan
Rating: 4 stars
Cover Rating: 5 stars (Beautiful)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: April 14, 2011
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Page Count: 349 p.
Buy it: Book Depository / Amazon
Read the Prologue and first chapter here.
Sunny was born different. She's an albino, so she has to stay out of the sun and carry an umbrella if she does go out. Being albino and African American means that her classmates pick on her all the time. Sunny feels alone in the world until she befriends Orlu and Chichi. Through them she finds that she might have a very unique place in the world and that her flaws may lend to her strong powers. She is one of the Leopard people, which is a secret society of magical people. Not only that, but she is destined to do great things for the society.
So I borrowed this from the library before buying it for my own, because occasionally multicultural books can fall flat on my teens. This book will not have that issue. It was fun and exciting and there were new secrets around every turn. I really liked Sunny, even if she usually had no idea what was going on. The only thing that bugged me is when they found out the identity of the murderer, Black Hat. It was simply told to Sunny, there was no discovery, the information was just laid out plainly. It was a bit lackluster. The rest of the book was interesting and just quite fabulous. I loved all the detail of the insects(even if they're gross) that Nnedi Okorafor adds to the story. It really made those creepy-crawly scenes more crawly. People who want a little juju in their stories will find some here. I loved learning that people in Nigeria do have cellphones, even if their neighbors are witches in mud huts. It was interesting seeing the prejudice in other countries, and how even something like being born in America can be considered a terrible thing. The magic bits and the history of the Leopard People were completely fascinating and well developed. The story was just filled with fun information and storytelling. When you have a great group of kids that are discovering these powers that live inside them and being told to save the world with said powers it makes for an amazing story. I picked up Zahrah the Windseeker
from my library and am eager to start that soon. I can't wait to hear more about Sunny and her friends, and will certainly be purchasing a copy of this for myself and my library. One of you may end up with your own copy soon too...
First Line:
"I've always been fascinated by candles."
Favorite Lines:
"Lambs are on a constant, unrealistic, irrational, and unnatural quest for perfection."
"The masquerade dances, whiling and whirling faster and faster. It whipped thousands of insects to the rhythm and speed of the drums and flute, laughing its shrill womanly laugh and buzzing it's insectile buzz."
Read the Prologue and first chapter here.
Sunny was born different. She's an albino, so she has to stay out of the sun and carry an umbrella if she does go out. Being albino and African American means that her classmates pick on her all the time. Sunny feels alone in the world until she befriends Orlu and Chichi. Through them she finds that she might have a very unique place in the world and that her flaws may lend to her strong powers. She is one of the Leopard people, which is a secret society of magical people. Not only that, but she is destined to do great things for the society.
So I borrowed this from the library before buying it for my own, because occasionally multicultural books can fall flat on my teens. This book will not have that issue. It was fun and exciting and there were new secrets around every turn. I really liked Sunny, even if she usually had no idea what was going on. The only thing that bugged me is when they found out the identity of the murderer, Black Hat. It was simply told to Sunny, there was no discovery, the information was just laid out plainly. It was a bit lackluster. The rest of the book was interesting and just quite fabulous. I loved all the detail of the insects(even if they're gross) that Nnedi Okorafor adds to the story. It really made those creepy-crawly scenes more crawly. People who want a little juju in their stories will find some here. I loved learning that people in Nigeria do have cellphones, even if their neighbors are witches in mud huts. It was interesting seeing the prejudice in other countries, and how even something like being born in America can be considered a terrible thing. The magic bits and the history of the Leopard People were completely fascinating and well developed. The story was just filled with fun information and storytelling. When you have a great group of kids that are discovering these powers that live inside them and being told to save the world with said powers it makes for an amazing story. I picked up Zahrah the Windseeker
from my library and am eager to start that soon. I can't wait to hear more about Sunny and her friends, and will certainly be purchasing a copy of this for myself and my library. One of you may end up with your own copy soon too...First Line:
"I've always been fascinated by candles."
Favorite Lines:
"Lambs are on a constant, unrealistic, irrational, and unnatural quest for perfection."
"The masquerade dances, whiling and whirling faster and faster. It whipped thousands of insects to the rhythm and speed of the drums and flute, laughing its shrill womanly laugh and buzzing it's insectile buzz."
Wot this sounds beautiful! Thanks for recommending it.
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