August 1, 2022
T'Challa is forced to ponder how a people can focus on progress without losing sight of their history. In the third book of the series, 13-year-old Prince T'Challa and Chicago friends Zeke and Sheila are in Wakanda and faced with a new challenge and foe. Tafari, another Wakandan tween, seems to think that the nation's citizens have lost touch with what's really important--their connection to the past--and he is bent on reminding them of what came before. Tafari comes from the isolationist Jabari Tribe that shuns technology, and he thinks Wakanda's best era as a society was the time before the discovery of Vibranium, a precious metal and source of power. In an effort to bring that period back, Tafari decides to strike at the Festival of the Ancestors: While giving praise to the Originators, Tafari uses creatures and forces unknown to T'Challa to send the king, queen, and other influential Wakandans to the Nether-Realms, which exist in another dimension. T'Challa must work with his friends and sister Shuri to bring everyone home before they are stuck there forever. Interweaving themes of social justice and equity into the story, the novel gives readers much to contemplate. While journeying with T'Challa, readers will experience the angst, uncertainty, and anxiety that come with growing awareness and responsibilities. Series fans and new readers alike are sure to enjoy this installment. An exciting adventure weaving present-day threats with knowledge of the past. (Fantasy. 8-13)
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