This month’s FYA Book Club selection is Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor. Check out the discussion questions below! (Slight spoilers ahead.)
P.S. If you’ve already read the book, feel free to add any other discussion questions of your own in the comments!
Icebreaker
For most readers, diving into Akata Witch might feel like entering an entirely foreign world, with its own unique culture and dialect. In your real (i.e. non-literary) life, what’s the most foreign-feeling place you’ve visited? A destination where you felt like a fish out of water?
Questions
1. Even before magic enters the picture, the world of Akata Witch stands out due to its Nigerian setting. What did you think about Sunny’s “real world”? And how did the setting impact Nnedi Okorafor’s storytelling?
2. To craft the magic and the culture of Leopard People in the book, Okorafor drew from Nigerian folklore. Which elements really leapt out at you, either because they were unique or surprising or just plain awesome?
3. Akata Witch has been described as “the Nigerian Harry Potter.” How does that comparison strike you?
4. What did you think of the climax, when Sunny’s coven faced off with Black Hat Otokoto?
5. Akata Witch is rich with dynamic characters. Who was your favorite, and why?
6. This book is classified as Young Adult, but Sunny is only twelve. If you were shelving Akata Witch, would you put it in the Middle Grade or YA section?
7. Do you plan on reading the sequel, Akata Warrior?
