Kingdom of dust

Kun, a land once green and lush, has turned into a kingdom of dust. Inspired by Igbo mythology and including Igbo language, Stringfellow's latest novel, set in a world rich with West African traditions, follows a preteen who must pull herself together to save her broken kingdom. Our heroine, Amara, doesn't know she's fated to return her land to its true form. In order to achieve this, she will have to claim her strength and develop her own voice. Along the way, good and evil battle--both the characters and readers need to pay close attention as situations move quickly. The magical, spare narration adds a lyrical quality to each step along the way, ending with a satisfying conclusion to an authentically realized waif-to-queen transformation tale. Author Stringfellow includes a glossary, which readers will appreciate as they navigate the adventure. Recommended for all who love fairy tales with strong female protagonists.

In Kun, a kingdom plagued by dust and famine, 12-year-old Amara and her adoptive mother struggle to make ends meet on the family farm. When a harvest festival--attended by Eze Udo, the usually absent king and presumptive heir to the goddess Oala--erupts in hunger-fueled pandemonium, Amara and her mother's escape is cut off by the king's guard's attempt to abduct Amara. Forced to abandon her mother to save herself, Amara seeks sanctuary with a hidden sect of griots, magic users bound to the will of Oala. They inform Amara that Eze Udo is not the true king, and that conditions in Kun will worsen until Oala's rightful heir is restored. Amara is tasked with retrieving said heir, who she learns is a powerful girl sequestered in a tower--and looks exactly like Amara. A rapidly paced resolution prevents the emotional resonance of Amara's grounding perspective from sticking the landing. Stringfellow (A Comb of Wishes) nevertheless communicates incisive ideas surrounding war and oppression via sparse prose, while Igbo mythology--fueled worldbuilding and Amara's bond with her mother form an immovable fulcrum around which the story revolves. A glossary concludes. Ages 8--12. Agent: Lindsay David Auld, Writers House. (Aug.)