The Boy to Beat the Gods

The Boy to Beat the Gods is a brilliant first book from Ashley Thorpe. It follows Kayode on his quest to get his sister, Temi, back from the Orishas. It begins with Kayode living in his village awaiting the return of the Orishas - the gods - when they come to take the fruit of the sacred tree (and a villager, picked by the elders, to be sacrificed). Kayode's father was taken previously as one of these sacrifices, leaving Kayode, his mum and sister.

On his quest to rescue his sister, Kayode joins forces with one of the Orishas (well done Thorpe for keeping me guessing whether the trickster god was tricking Kayode or not!). There is also the princess Tiwa, who has her own vengence, and Bami (I love Bami and his boasting. He is one of my favourite characters in the book).

I loved the action, the anticipation and how Kayode, Tiwa and Bami grew to trust one another, and the importance in believing in yourself. The author includes some information, in his note, about the Orishas who inspired the story, which is useful for anyone wanting to know more about West African culture. This book would be useful to read when studying the Benin Empire.

Pages 272 pages / Reviewed by D.Ritchie, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 9+

The Boy to Beat the Gods is a richly evocative and fascinating adventure taking inspiration from, and rooted in, the culture of African storytelling. Tales of the Yoruba spirits form the backbone and history of this epic, exciting and entertaining story and are part of a wonderfully emerging young readers' genre in contemporary children's literature.

Seven Orisha gods terrorise the many villages of the land, strike fear into their people.  When they descend on a village wielding their darkly destructive powers, only the offering of the fruit of baobab tree and the sacrifice of some of their own community can save the entire village from absolute annihilation. Young Kayode, who lost his own father years before as an Orisha sacrifice, is weary of living in fear.  He is consumed with the idea of eating one of the gods' forbidden baobab fruits to obtain the power of the gods themselves so he can turn his equal power upon them and destroy them all.  So follows a tale of one boy's determined, dangerous and death-defying quest to release his own sister from the grip of the Orisha and save all who suffer at their hands.

I couldn't put this book down .. the action and drama spill from its pages at a furious pace. The setting of the story feels vast; the seven gods are superbly detailed in their immense size, in their individual powers and in the force of their malevolent intentions. From the "large and gluttonous" Obatunde, who feasts on the bodies that god Sanjoh strikes down with lightening, to the trickster god Eko, shape-shifting into chimps, lions and much more, the story creates bold, impossibly strong and foreboding figures on a giant scale against the fabric, timber and stone compounds.

The heroic saviours are young Kayode and his new friends (fiercely brave despite their fears and losses in life), grief-stricken Tiwa, and Bami.  Even with the power of Orisha running through Kayode's veins, this won't be enough to defeat seven mighty gods - help, loyalty and the secrets of the Orisha ways then comes in a totally unexpected but heart warming way …

The Boy to Beat the Gods is a fantastic book celebrating a rich African culture in a brilliant adventure with themes of friendship, hope and using powers righteously.  It would make a read-aloud, if you want to share a strong quest adventure with a different cultural setting. Expect epic battle scenes, quietly moving moments, gently funny exchanges between characters and journeys of self-discovery, self-belief and coming together to save all.

272 pages / Reviewed by Jennifer Caddick, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 9+