Koku Akanbi and the Heart of Midnight

Koku feels he has a lot to contend with in his life; he has sickle cell anaemia, his parents are dead and he is bullied at school.  When he accidentally damages an exhibit at a museum, during a school visit, his uncle decides that he needs to return to his West African home country of Olori, for the summer.    However, he finds that the country is ruled by magic and darkness is gradually being banished from the land.  Discovering that he is the last member of a dark controlling tribe means that Koku is expected to restore the balance and bring peace to the land; quite a lot for a thirteen-year-old boy.

This is an absolute roller-coaster of a ride through African mythologies, particularly those in West Africa.  Koku has spent most of his life in London and he has not been told very much about his culture and history, so all of this comes as quite a shock to him.  His efforts to navigate all of the dangers he discovers will have the reader cheering him on, as well as sitting on the edge of their seat.  On a very serious note, we have the fact that Koku has sickle cell anaemia, a disease that has a profound effect on sufferers and for which there is no cure.  He finds it difficult to come to terms with his condition, so his challenges in Olori help him understand what he can control in his life. Koku is also finding out about his heritage and what happened to his parents, something that he had not known and a subject that is so important to everyone; we need to know our family. The story is told in a very upbeat way and there is a lot of use of slang and street language, which you might expect from a teenager; however, I hope that this does not date the book in the future.  Hopefully the way that it is written will appeal to the young audience who do not always see themselves represented in mainstream publishing.