When Cameron opens the barrier between their world and Chidani, a fabled West African country protecting its people from the slave trade centuries ago, he learns that he is the only one who can save it from danger. 75,000 first printing. Simultaneous eBook. - (Baker & Taylor)

When Cameron and his best friends are magically transported through the pages of an ancestral book to the fabled West African country Chidani, they find a kingdom in extreme danger and have to find a way to save the Igbo people. - (Baker & Taylor)

Inspired by West African and Igbo history and mythology, this adventurous middle-grade fantasy debut perfect for fans of Aru Shah and Tristan Strong celebrates the triumphs and challenges of a boy finding his truth path to greatness.

As the true Descendant, I command to open
The door to Chidani; it shall be broken

Magic awaits those who seek the queen’s peace
And all the suffering you feel will cease

Those who open the histories will hear a sound
What was lost has finally been found.

Cameron Battle grew up reading The Book of Chidani, cherishing stories about the fabled kingdom that cut itself off from the world to save the Igbo people from danger. Passed down over generations, the Book is Cameron’s only connection to his parents who disappeared one fateful night, two years ago.

Ever since, his grandmother has kept the Book locked away, but it calls to Cameron. When he and his best friends, Zion and Aliyah, decide to open it again, they are magically transported to Chidani. Instead of a land of beauty and wonder, they find a kingdom in extreme danger, as the queen’s sister seeks to destroy the barrier between worlds. The people of Chidani have been waiting for the last Descendant to return and save them . . . is Cameron ready to be the hero they need?

Dr. Jamar J. Perry is a debut author who received his PhD in literacy education, language, culture, and social inquiry from the University of Maryland, College Park. Before, he taught middle school language arts for four years, where the majority of the students were Black boys. Like Cameron, he hopes that one day all Black boys can understand how magical and joyful they really are, no matter how different they may feel.

Twitter: @jamarperry
Instagram: @jamarjperry
www.jamarjperry.com

Booklist Reviews

From a young age, Cameron Battle was fascinated with the stories told to him from the Book of Chidani, a book passed down by his ancestors. It tells tales of the mythical country of Chidani and the Igbo people, who have hidden themselves from the world as a way of protection. When sneaking around one night to take a glance at the book, Cameron and his friends are transported to the Kingdom of Chidani. They learn that Chidani is in turmoil because Queen Ramala's sister, Amina, is seeking to take over the kingdom and break the barrier hiding Chidani from the rest of the world. The secrets of Cameron's family history and his role in Chidani are revealed to him when he is told that the only person who can stop Amina is the Descendant. Perry has written an action-packed fantasy with Igbo and other African mythology, and his world building creates an immersive experience. This title is a must-read for fans of Kwame Mbalia's Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky (2019). Grades 4-7. Copyright 2021 Booklist Reviews.

Kirkus Reviews

A young Black boy and his two best friends discover a new world in his family's ancestral book. Cameron Battle is a 12-year-old boy of Igbo descent living in Atlanta who starts noticing strange happenings around his house but second-guesses himself, instead blaming his active imagination. At the start of summer vacation, Cameron has a sleepover with his two best friends, Zion and Aliyah. Despite being strictly prohibited from entering the attic and reading The Book of Chidani, a record of ancestral history passed down through the generations of Cameron's family, all three kids disobey and find themselves literally pulled into the book—and with it, the country of Chidani. There, Cameron finds out that the odd things he's noticed were indeed real and that, as the only living Descendant of the people of Chidani, he has been tasked with saving the country from a power grab by the queen's sister. Perry presents a fantasy full of adventure, loss, bravery, and perseverance. Themes of love, intergenerational hardship, and sacrifice are woven throughout the story. Its potential, however, is largely unfulfilled thanks to the cast members' constant vacillation in thought and action. Some characters feel one-dimensional, making it difficult for readers to become fully invested in the novel. The cast of characters is made up of Black people of various ethnicities. A promising West African–inspired tale about courage and legacy let down by inconsistent characterization. (Fantasy. 8-12) Copyright Kirkus 2021 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.

PW Annex Reviews

Ever since he lost his parents two years ago, Igbo-descended 12-year-old Cameron Battle has been forbidden from entering the attic of the Atlanta home he shares with his grandmother and reading the Book of Chidani. The book is a family heirloom filled with stories about a hidden realm in Nigeria that was created centuries back to protect the Igbo people in the height of chattel slavery. But during a sleepover, Cameron and his best friends, tech-savvy Aliyah and smart, protective Zion, sneak into the attic to read the Book, accidentally opening a portal to Chidani itself. There, they discover that Cameron's parents died defending the land, leaving him as the realm's only Descendant. To save Chidani from the queen's sister, who seeks to shatter the barrier that keeps enslavers outside it, Cameron must bond with the Book and, with his friends, retrieve a trio of stolen magical artifacts while facing monsters, gods, and their own fears. Rooted in Igbo mythology and starring Black protagonists of various ethnic backgrounds, Perry's tale offers up a fast-paced, intense story of legacy and loss as Cameron worries about whether he's fit for the task at hand, even as he draws on the support of his companions and memories of his family legacy. Ages 8–12. Agent: Caitie Flum, Liza Dawson Assoc.(Feb.)