06/27/2022

Art serves as literal portal in this Afrofuturist debut centering a Black 11-year-old who yearns to escape into his work. Though creating helps Jarrell center himself, he’s dismissed by a teacher and classmates for drawing during algebra, and his family thinks he’s focused on the wrong things. But supportive cousin Omari hangs Jarrell’s drawings in his barbershop, a welcome surprise. When a carved mirror in Omari’s strangely familiar VIP room becomes a portal to Jarrell’s art—an “ancient-future” realm called Ulfrika—the youth encounters goddess Ayana, who is protecting a powerful staff from an evil sorcerer, Ikala. Only the staff’s foretold heir can wield it, but Ikala seeks its powers in order to rule Ulfrika and other worlds. With the help of a special Earth-side haircut—a low fade carved with a symbol of leadership—Jarrell is sent on a quest to help Ayana, searching for four elemental creatures that can reassemble the now-broken staff, and learning how to collaborate along the way. In this slim series opener with a video game structure, Blackwood combines real-world anchors (griots, a mention of family history erased by slavery) with fantastical elements (cloud-based travel, talking wolves), giving readers just enough to want more. Characters read as Black; final art not seen by PW. Ages 7–10. Agent: Allison Hellegers, Stimola Literary. (Aug.)