Name: The Door of No Return
ISBN: 9780316442060

Kwame Alexander

From New York Times Bestselling author Kwame Alexander comes the first book in a searing, breathtaking trilogy that follows a boy from his small village in Africa on an odyssey he never could have imagined.

The Door of No Return

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Recommended For...: middle grade readers, prose, poetry, historical fiction, 1860s Africa, slavery

Age Relevance: 12+ (violence, gore, death, vague reference to sexual assault, religion, suicide shown, slight romance, slavery)

Explanation of Above: There is some violence and blood gore in this book. There is death shown and mentioned in this book briefly. There is one very vague reference to sexual assault and a character decides to take their life by throwing themselves over the ship. There are some mentions of religion throughout the book. There is a slight romance where the MC has a crush on a character. There are mentions and showings of slavery.

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Synopsis: 11-year-old Kofi Offin dreams of water. Its mysterious, immersive quality. The rich, earthy scent of the current. The clearness, its urgent whisper that beckons with promises and secrets…

Kofi has heard the call on the banks of Upper Kwanta, in the village where he lives. He loves these things above all else: his family, the fireside tales of his father’s father, a girl named Ama, and, of course, swimming. Some say he moves like a minnow, not just an ordinary boy so he’s hoping to finally prove himself in front of Ama and his friends in a swimming contest against his older, stronger cousin.

But before this can take place, a festival comes to the villages of Upper and Lower Kwanta and Kofi’s brother is chosen to represent Upper Kwanta in the wrestling contest. Encircled by cheering spectators and sounding drums, the two wrestlers from different villages kneel, ready to fight.

The match is over before it has barely begun, when the unthinkable–a sudden death–occurs…

The river does not care how grown you are.

As his world turns upside down, Kofi soon ends up in a fight for his life. What happens next will send him on a harrowing journey across land and sea, and away from everything he loves.

Review: I am not one for prose for the most part but this book was so compelling that I couldn’t put it down! I loved reading this book and I thought the book had a Roots feeling to it. The book is sad, but hopeful in the end and the book is very historical. It does great to keep the events that happened factual, but written in the ways that a middle grade reader would be able to understand and comprehend. The world building was great and the character development was as well.

The only issue I had with the book is that sometimes it did a back and forth narrative that was a bit confusing, but overall I loved it so much.

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

 

Book: The Door of No Return

 

Author: Kwame Alexander

 

Book Series: Standalone

 

Rating: 4.5/5

 

Diversity: Black MC and characters

 

Recommended For...: middle grade readers, prose, poetry, historical fiction, 1860s Africa, slavery

 

Publication Date: September 27, 2022

 

Genre: MG Historical Fiction Poetry

 

Age Relevance: 12+ (violence, gore, death, vague reference to sexual assault, religion, suicide shown, slight romance, slavery)

 

Explanation of Above: There is some violence and blood gore in this book. There is death shown and mentioned in this book briefly. There is one very vague reference to sexual assault and a character decides to take their life by throwing themselves over the ship. There are some mentions of religion throughout the book. There is a slight romance where the MC has a crush on a character. There are mentions and showings of slavery.

 

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

 

Pages: 432

 

Synopsis: 11-year-old Kofi Offin dreams of water. Its mysterious, immersive quality. The rich, earthy scent of the current. The clearness, its urgent whisper that beckons with promises and secrets…

 

Kofi has heard the call on the banks of Upper Kwanta, in the village where he lives. He loves these things above all else: his family, the fireside tales of his father’s father, a girl named Ama, and, of course, swimming. Some say he moves like a minnow, not just an ordinary boy so he’s hoping to finally prove himself in front of Ama and his friends in a swimming contest against his older, stronger cousin.

 

But before this can take place, a festival comes to the villages of Upper and Lower Kwanta and Kofi’s brother is chosen to represent Upper Kwanta in the wrestling contest. Encircled by cheering spectators and sounding drums, the two wrestlers from different villages kneel, ready to fight.

 

You are only fine, until you are not.

 

The match is over before it has barely begun, when the unthinkable–a sudden death–occurs…

 

The river does not care how grown you are.

 

As his world turns upside down, Kofi soon ends up in a fight for his life. What happens next will send him on a harrowing journey across land and sea, and away from everything he loves.

 

Review: I am not one for prose for the most part but this book was so compelling that I couldn’t put it down! I loved reading this book and I thought the book had a Roots feeling to it. The book is sad, but hopeful in the end and the book is very historical. It does great to keep the events that happened factual, but written in the ways that a middle grade reader would be able to understand and comprehend. The world building was great and the character development was as well.

 

The only issue I had with the book is that sometimes it did a back and forth narrative that was a bit confusing, but overall I loved it so much.

 

Verdict: It was good! Highly recommend!