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Award Winner Critically Recognized
  • Kwame Crashes the Underworld by Craig Kofi Farmer book cover
  • Kwame Crashes the Underworld by Craig Kofi Farmer book cover
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Kwame Crashes the Underworld

by Craig Kofi Farmer

A journey between Ghana’s worlds

$16.27 USD
$27.12 USD $16.27 USD
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Awards & Recognition

  • Award recognition

    Coretta Scott King John Steptoe Award winner

    The supplied metadata identifies the book as a winner of the Coretta Scott King John Steptoe Award.

  • Editorial selection

    Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year

    Named a Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year.

  • Critical praise

    Kirkus Reviews starred review

    Received a starred review with praise for its storytelling, themes, and Ghanaian spirituality and folklore.

AlbakiReads Editorial

A journey between Ghana’s worlds

Kwame’s trip to Ghana for his grandmother’s celebration of life becomes a passage into Asamando, the underworld of the story. There, the family loss he is struggling with intersects with a larger threat to the land of the living. Ghanaian folklore shapes the adventure, from the underworld setting to the angry nature gods and the talkative aboatia Woo. Kwame’s companions include his best friend, Autumn, and his grandmother, whose appearance in Asamando complicates his understanding of loss. The stakes of returning home are bound to the question of how he can say goodbye, bringing grief and family connection into the book’s fantasy conflict.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Middle-grade readers interested in fantasy adventures rooted in Ghanaian folklore.
  • Readers drawn to stories about friendship, family, and coping with loss.
  • Kids ages 9–12, the audience listed in the supplied metadata.

Themes

Ghanaian folklore and spiritualityGrief and saying goodbyeFamily connectionFriendshipCourage

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

Winner of the Coretta Scott King John Steptoe Award

*Deluxe paperback with blue stained edges*

Discover a stunning middle grade fantasy about a boy hurled into the Ghanaian underworld to help his grandmother save humanity, perfect for fans of Tristan Strong and Amari and the Night Brothers.

Twelve-year-old Kwame Powell isn't ready to deal with losing his grandmother, even as he and his family head to Ghana for her celebration of life.

He's definitely not ready when he's sucked into a magical whirlpool that leads straight to Asamando, the Ghanaian underworld. There, he comes face to face with his grandmother, who is very much alive, and somehow still...a kid? Together with his best friend, Autumn, and a talkative aboatia named Woo, Kwame must battle angry nature gods, and stop the underworld from destroying the land of the living.

But there's an even bigger problem: Only living souls can leave Asamando. In order to save the mortal world and return home, Kwame will need to find the courage to do the bravest thing of all -- learn how to say goodbye.

***

Praise for Kwame Crashes the Underworld:

A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
A Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year

★ "A grand tale, funny and terrifying in turns, steeped in Ghanaian spirituality and folklore, and wrapped around themes of identity, obligation, true friendship, and devastating loss." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "This swashbuckling, supernatural adventure into the land of Ghanian mythology will have all readers (and especially fans of Rick Riordan Presents titles) craving more. Highly recommended." -- School Library Journal, starred review

"Brimming with laughter, joy, and beautiful messages about grief, hope, lost loved ones, identity, and the ancestors, Kwame Crashes the Underworld rattles the spirit. Kwame Powell is a much-welcomed hero to the canon of children's books." -- Dhonielle Clayton, New York Times-bestselling author of The Marvellers and The Memory Thieves

"Craig Kofi Farmer brings to life the myths of Ghana with heart, humor, and cinematic flair. I wish this book had existed when I was a child. I dare readers not to let Kwame Powell into their hearts." -- Roseanne A. Brown, New York Times-bestselling author of Serwa Boateng's Guide to Vampire Hunting

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