Book Cover Image of Kwame Crashes the Underworld by Craig Kofi Farmer

Kwame Crashes the Underworld
by Craig Kofi Farmer

    Publication Date: Sep 10, 2024
    List Price: $17.99
    Format: Hardcover, 352 pages
    Classification: Fiction
    Target Age Group: Middle Grade
    ISBN13: 9781250900265
    Imprint: Roaring Brook Press
    Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
    Parent Company: Holtzbrinck Publishing Group

    Description of Kwame Crashes the Underworld by Craig Kofi Farmer

    A stunning middle grade fantasy about a boy hurled into the Ghanaian underworld to help his late grandmother save humanity, perfect for fans of Tristan Strong and The Book of Life.

    Twelve-year-old Kwame Powell refuses to acknowledge any feelings about his grandmother's passing. And he certainly doesn't want to accompany his parents to her celebration of life ceremony in Ghana, where he knows he'll have to face his feelings about her death head-on.

    But when an aboatia — a mischievous monkey from Akan mythology — steals Kwame's grandmother's dashiki, his last physical reminder of her, Kwame decides to take matters into his own hands. He chases the little thief across town, to the edge of the pier, and…into a magical whirlpool that leads straight to Asamando, the Ghanaian underworld.

    With his best friend Autumn, and the crafty aboatia he names Woo, Kwame finds himself embroiled with angry nature gods intent on destroying humanity. And, matters only get more complicated when he runs into none other than his grandmother herself…except in the underworld, she's still a kid. And very much alive.

    Adventurous and memorable, Craig Kofi Farmer's middle grade fantasy is an immersive and powerful debut that tackles themes of identity, intergenerational connectedness, and how to say goodbye with heart, humor, and an epic dose of magic.