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100 pages 3 hours read

Nnedi Okorafor

Akata Witch

Nnedi OkoraforFiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2011

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Introduction

Akata Witch

  • Genre: Fiction; young adult fantasy
  • Originally Published: 2011
  • Reading Level/Interest: Lexile HL590L; grades 7-9
  • Structure/Length: 20 chapters; approx. 349 pages; approx. 8 hours, 49 minutes on audio
  • Protagonist and Central Conflict: Twelve-year-old Sunny, a Nigerian American girl living in Nigeria, is a person with albinism who feels like she doesn’t fit in anywhere. When she learns she has a powerful magical ability, Sunny’s reality shifts, just like the reality she’s being taught to manipulate. She finds herself with a community and a place to belong, with friends who are also learning magic. When they’re tasked to catch a career criminal who also knows magic, Sunny and her friends must rely on all they’ve been taught—and on themselves.
  • Potential Sensitivity Issues: Ableism, ableist slurs, misogyny, child mutilation, murder, bullying

Nnedi Okorafor, Author

  • Bio: Born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1974 to Igbo Nigerian parents; Nigerian American science fiction and fantasy writer for children and adults; nationally known tennis and track star in high school; diagnosed with scoliosis at age 13; underwent spinal fusion surgery at age 19; lost the ability to walk, but regained it with the use of a cane after intense physical therapy; went to college at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Attended Michigan State University and earned a master’s degree in journalism; earned a PhD in English from University of Illinois, Chicago; 2001 graduate of the Clarion Writers Workshop; writing is classified as Africanfuturism and Africanjujuism and heavily influenced by her Nigerian heritage; honored with multiple awards, including the Hugo Award, Nebula Award, Eisner Award, and World Fantasy Award; considered among the third generation of Nigerian writers
  • Other Works: Binti (2015); Akata Warrior (2017); Ikenga (2020); Akata Woman (2022)
  • Awards: Locus Award Nominee (2011); Nebula Award Finalist (2012); ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults (2012)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

  • The Importance of Belonging to Communities
  • The Strength of the Individual
  • The Value and Power of Knowledge

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

  • Explore background information on albinism and Nigerian culture to increase their engagement with and understanding of Akata Witch.
  • Read/study paired texts and other brief resources to deepen their understanding of themes related to The Importance of Belonging to Communities, The Strength of the Individual, and The Value and Power of Knowledge.
  • Demonstrate their understanding of plot, character, and theme in Akata Witch by “revising” the included false document Fast Facts for Free Agents.
  • Analyze the significance of various elements of the novel, such as genre, motif, plot detail, characterization, and rhetorical techniques, and construct essay responses tying these elements to the novel’s meaning.
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