Lionheart Girl

Raised in a household of powerful West African witches with magical capabilities, Sheba is a princess in her village – but she’s terrified of her own mother, cruel and vicious, who has the frightening ability to transform herself into a crow and is gripped by a hatred and jealousy that threatens anyone who crosses her.

But Sheba is slowly learning to protect herself and those she loves. With just a touch of her hand to someone’s hair, she’s discovering she can dive into someone’s deepest thoughts, fears, hopes and dreams. With the help of her forever-friend Maybe and her formidable grandmother and aunts, she must become ready to face her fears – and take back the truth of her family that her mother has hidden from her for so long. But always, Sheba must grapple with the fear that she and her mother may be more alike than she believes.

This is a bewitching, often dark, magical realism novel for children aged 12+. Author Yaba Badoe was inspired to write Lionheart Girl by the story of a mother who was so desperate for her son to stay close to home that she buried his umbilical cord under a tree in their home – and the themes of superstition, magic, and the parents who steal their children’s destiny from them that beat strongly in the heart of this book.

Sheba is an interesting and relatable heroine – like us, she feels fear, defeat, envy and dread, and very often the greatest barriers on her journey are the ones inside her mind. Each of her aunts and grandmothers has a rich story and it’s wonderful to see such a loving, matriarchal household with so many powerful female characters in a work of children’s fiction.

Note: there are some scenes of bloody violence which sensitive readers may wish to avoid.