Alexander, Kwame. The Door of No Return. Little, Brown and Company, 2022.  978-0-316-44186-5. 418 p. $17.99. Grades 6-9.

Kofi Offin’s life in the Upper Kingdom of Africa is good. While Kofi’s school lessons may be boring and his cousin tries to intimidate him with feats of strength, his coming of age ceremony is around the corner, and he is excited. His best friend Ebo and his crush Ama often come with him when he spends his day swimming in the banks of the river Offin, for which he is named. During the Annual King’s festival, Kofi’s brother Kwasi represents the Upper Kingdom as a fighter and as such, fights against the strongest man in the Lower Kingdom. The fight results in a fatal tragedy which disintegrates the peace between the two kingdoms. Kofi becomes an unfortunate victim of that break in peace and is taken captive on the banks of the very river he loves. Kofi must find the strength within himself to survive the hardships that come next.

THOUGHTS: Kwame Alexander’s beautiful poetry draws the reader into the story while simultaneously weaving a chilling true story of what happened to many Africans during the Atlantic slave trade. The reader will relate to Kofi’s coming-of-age story and root for his survival. This would be an excellent purchase for middle grade libraries and also for classroom literature circles, especially when used in conjunction with a history curriculum focusing on early American and British history.

Historical Fiction           Danielle Corrao, Manheim Central SD
Novel in Verse