Traoré, Efua. Children of the Quicksands. Fiction. Chicken House, 07/2022. 286 [+14]pp. $18.99. 978-1-338-78192-2. HIGH ADDITIONAL. GRADES 5-7.
Thirteen-year-old Simi’s mom must travel to London from Lagos, Nigeria, for her new job, so Simi gets packed off to a stay with a grandmother she has never met and who lives in a remote Nigerian village. Simi’s not sure what’s worse, being sent to the middle of a jungle with no electricity, running water, or cell service, or being foisted on a woman her mother hasn’t spoken to, or about, for decades. Within the first hour of the visit Simi has made two life-changing mistakes: she forgets to give her grandmother the letter her mom insisted be handed over first thing, and she disobeys her grandmother’s explicit directions to turn right, NOT left on the path to the village. Simi’s glimpse of a terrifying alternate reality must have been a dream, but when other children start to disappear and a family secret won’t stay hidden, Simi must uncover the past in order to save the present. Based on Nigerian folklore and the author’s childhood, this story of adventure and heritage has a fully modern heroine kids will root for. Perfect for fans of The Jumbies (Algonquin, 2015), Josephine Against the Sea (Scholastic, 2021), A Comb of Wishes (Quill Tree, 2022) or When Life Gives You Mangoes (Delacorte, 2020). Includes an author’s note and a glossary of Nigerian terms.
Melissa McAvoy, Retired
