Tag Adam Douglas-Bagley

Yomi and the Clash of the Abadas

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Yomi and the Clash of the Abadas
Davina Tijani, illustrated by Adam Douglas-Bagley
Little Tiger

Based on African mythology, this is the fourth adventure for Yomi, Kay and Uncle Olu. After receiving a call for help from their Uncle’s best friend, Daba, they’ve recently arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He is troubled at the disappearance of very large numbers of the Abadas from the national park managed by the Sacred Beast League and wants to know why this is happening.
Arriving at Uncle Daba’s camp, they find the place completely deserted and it seems the place has been attacked by something or someone. Uncle Olu’s reaction is to head back to Kindu, not so Yomi and Kay; but while they’re discussing what they should do a herd of enormous Jagura come hurtling in their direction. All three quickly climb trees.
The next thing they know is that Uncle Olu has disappeared, captured by Beast Hunters.

Now the siblings are on their own and need to hide; but soon they find themselves lost in an unknown place.
Then they encounter a group of young Abadas, but with disquiet among the various herds, can Yomi and Kay persuade the creatures to set aside their disagreements to save their friends and put a stop to the Beast Hunters’ activities in the DRC.

Followers of Yomi and Kayode will be on tenterhooks as they read what I think is the dramatic conclusion to this series. I’ve loved every one of their adventures, each of which is enhanced by Adam Douglas-Bagley’s illustrations.

Yomi and the Curse of Grootslang / Let Sleeping Gods Lie

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Yomi and the Curse of Grootslang
Davina Tijani, illustrated by Adam Douglas-Bagley
Little Tiger

In this third fantasy adventure in Davina Tijani’s Nkara Chronicles series with Adam Douglas-Bagley’s dramatic illustrations, Yomi and her younger brother, Kayode, accompany their Uncle Lou ( a researcher for the Sacred Beast League) to South Africa. Shortly after they arrive the siblings meet the Vilha Treasure Hunters, a group of children who have heard about their bravery when they rescued a Senegalese dragon king and saved a city. The Treasure Hunters believe the qualities the siblings exhibited are exactly what will be required if they agree to join them in their quest to find the Tusk Diamond and bring it back to the rightful owners as well as hopefully, to break a curse issued by the elephantine serpent, Grootslang in whose cave the jewel is hidden. Yomi and Kay agree and so begins their adventure.

On finding the cave the adventurers try bargaining with Grootslang using the pyronite Kayode had brought in exchange for their freedom and the diamond.

When this fails can they come up with something else to persuade her and ultimately help bring peace and harmony to Vilha?

The author weaves mythology, culture and details of South African landscapes into her fast-paced story which also demonstrates the importance of camaraderie and working together, leaving it neatly set up for the next adventure in the series, set in the Congo. Bring it on.
There’s mythology too in

Let Sleeping Gods Lie
Thiago De Moraes
David Fickling Books

Following her adventure with trickster gods in Old Gods New Tricks, Trixie dos Santos is settling back into her usual way of life, this includes school. She manages to tolerate the boredom of lessons but hates the taunting from some of the pupils, so on some days she spends her time elsewhere, wandering in the woods for instance. It’s on one of these occasions that she loses track of time and reaching home late, is greeted with the news that her grandmother has died and they have to go to Norway for the funeral.

Shortly after arriving there’s some talk of Grandma’s magical cauldron but it isn’t where it’s supposed to be. Trixie notices some strange marks on the kitchen floor. She decides to take a look outside and with Bragi the dog, she sallies forth into the freezing cold. In a clearing in the wood she encounters Baba Yaga.

It turns out that the witch knew Trixie’s grandmother and knows about her magic cauldron. Thus begins Trixie’s next mission: to travel to the Land of the Dead and search for the cauldron.

While in the underworld, having met her dead grandma, Trixie comes upon Hel (goddess of death) and her father Loki, the latter she already knows. Can she trust the trickster when he offers to help. her? Not only he but all the other tricksters that offer assistance as her quest continues taking her through many underworlds. There’s really no choice if Trixie is to prevent the evil army from taking over the world.

A breath-taking tale with plenty of humour, that introduces mythology from various cultures. It will have readers on the edge of their seats as they root for Trixie at every twist and turn. The author’s black and white illustrations are superb – striking, often intricate and very powerful. I can’t wait for Trixie’s next foray into the world of mythology; her emergence from this quest has left her mentally stronger.

Yomi and the Power of the Yumboes / Mirabelle and the Midnight Feast

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Yomi and the Power of the Yumboes
Davina Tijani, illustrated by Adam Douglas-Bagley
Little Tiger

Starring Yomi and her younger brother, Kayode, this is the second in an exciting series that is based on African mythology. The siblings, now in Senegal, are officially members of the Sacred Beast League and Yomi is getting bored with sorting her uncle’s paperwork; what she wants to be doing is having another adventure, one that involves finding a Yumboe, the most powerful of African fairies so Uncle Olu’s Beast Atlas says. When she asks her uncle about them he tells the siblings that although the SLB has been looking for these fairies for years none have been found although the Beast Hunters are always on the watch for them.

That night Yomi is woken by a sound coming from the kitchen. Down she goes to investigate and there before her is a Yumboe sampling the contents of the fridge. The little fairy has a damaged wing. She introduces herself as Safari and tells Yomi that she’s been looking for her and needs Yomi’s help in protecting the Yumboes’ secret city from the destructive Beast Hunters.She also says she’s on a mission to find the Yumboes’ most treasured possession, a moonstone, and that nobody else knows she’s asking humans for help.This is just the kind of adventure Yomi has been waiting for so she promises that she and Kay will do their utmost to help. And so they do. But can they possibly outsmart the Beast Hunters? They’ll most definitely need to make use of all their skills, not to mention some special silver energy from that wonderful silver star.

Having faced perils aplenty, this thrilling, fast paced quest with Adam Douglas-Bagley’s powerful illustrations, ends in a way that sets things up for Yomi and Kay’s next mission: South Africa here they come. Bring on some more fascinating African folklore.
For slightly younger readers is

Mirabelle and the Midnight Feast
Harriet Muncasater
Oxford Children’s Books

In this story starring the young narrator with a witch mum and a dad who is a fairy, Mirabelle, is excited that she’s going to be spending time in a witchy environment when she goes for a sleepover, and hopefully a midnight feast, at her best friend Carlotta’s home on the other side of town. The friends have been given strict instructions to stay out of Carlotta’s big sister Edith’s bedroom, not to use any magic and under no circumstances to touch Edith’s new Witch-Twitch-Supreme potion kit. However big sister has gone out for the evening and surely it wouldn’t hurt to sneak into her bedroom and have a look around, so long as they stay well away from that special potion kit. But Mirabelle just can’t resist the allure of Edith’s crystal ball and disaster strikes when it slips out of her fingers, through the window and ends up in pieces on the patio.

Despite their best efforts at repairs, they don’t fool Edith, but it’s Carlotta who gets blamed for the breakage. Will Mirabelle find the courage to own up and if so, then what?

I know a great many followers of this enchanting series whose eyes will be all sparkly when they get their fingers on the tenth book wherein friendship, sibling solutions and the importance of owning up are key elements.

Yomi and the Fury of Ninki Nanka / Fairytale Ninjas: The Magic Crown 

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Yomi and the Fury of Ninki Nanka
Davina Tijani, illustrated by Adam Douglas-Bagley
Little Tiger

Yomi (soon to go into her final year in primary school) and her brother Kayode, two years younger, are supposed to be on the trip of a lifetime visiting The Gambia with their Uncle Olu. But thus far their holiday has been boring, boring, boring, and involved something to do with their uncle’s research.

However after despairing there will be anything like an adventure, or the sight of any Nkara, Yomi’s sleep is disturbed by a terrible roaring and she witnesses Ninki Nanka, the Dragon King being kidnapped from the sky. From then on, things become a whole lot more exciting. Determined to rescue him, the siblings encounter magnificent beasts, unearth a number of secrets, meet a reckless boy hunter

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and face dangers aplenty. Yomi and Kayode are highly motivated and resilient, but can they save Ninki Nanka?

Vividly told, by an author who clearly has a great depth of understanding for, and love of, African mythology, this fast-paced West African-inspired fantasy adventure is the first of a new series – The Nkara Chronicles – and with Adam Douglas-Bagley’s striking illustrations, deserves to be a winner with primary readers. I thoroughly enjoyed it.


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Fairytale Ninjas: The Magic Crown  Paula Harrison, illustrated by Mónica de Rivas Harper Collins Children’s Books

This second story set in the kingdom of Waybeyond begins with Red wishing for another adventure with new magical creatures when suddenly a fireball drops from the sky and becomes a fiery little golden bird, followed not long after by a large ice dragon. Now there’s no need to go seeking adventures, instead one has found Red, Snow and Goldie (aka the Fairytale Ninjas). In fact pretty soon the entire town is full of frost fairies too.

With trouble afoot, it’s time for a visit to Redrock Canyon, dwelling place of sand dragons and firebirds declares Snow. Having, with the help of their gingerbread supplies, persuaded a unicorn to take them, they’re off at a gallop only stopping at the edge of a cliff beneath which goblins and rats are busy digging holes in the rock with saucepans and spoons. Why? They don’t stop long enough to find out though and instead continue to the icy mountains region, but now clad in their ninja suits to blend in.

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This allows them to overhear a conversation about a wooden box hidden by an old king the contents of which will make their master the most powerful person in the entire kingdom. They must be working for Sir Scallion surely? But an untimely sneeze results in the three being discovered and they have to dash for their unicorn, stopping briefly to rescue a tiny ice dragon. Whither now? Goldie has an idea and they soon find themselves in a mysterious library. I’ll leave them there and merely say ‘Rumpelstiltskin’ and recommend you get a copy of the book and find out how the magical tale ends.

With its wealth of illustrations by Mónica de Rivas, emergent readers will devour this twisted fairytale, along with some gingerbread.