The second title in a wonderfully imaginative adventure trilogy about the power of a girl to change the world through the magic of books and the power of words. 8+ friends who love Pages & Co., Amari and the Night Brothers and The Book of Stolen Dreams will be enchanted.

Eleven-year-old Mayowa is about to embark on the adventure of her life: a very summery trip to Nigeria to visit her family. But this is not just a holiday. Since discovering her unusual talent — inherited from her British grandfather, Edward — Mayowa is learning to harness a strange and radiant magic. All she needs to do is jump into a book, and the emotions within its pages sweep her away into unpredictable and wild experiences.

When she arrives in Nigeria, Mayowa quickly realizes her British relatives are not the only ones with secrets. Her mysterious great-aunt, Iya Ibeji, welcomes her to Alaafia, a peaceful haven outside Lagos, and introduces her to esin l’oro — an ancient art that reveals the true power of spoken words. Guided by her aunt, Mayowa begins to understand how language can bend, shape, and even rewrite reality itself.

But magic is not the only thing Mayowa is striving to master. Torn between her British upbringing and Nigerian heritage, she struggles with the question that has followed her for years: where does she truly belong?

When oil is discovered beneath Alaafia, the paradise her aunt has built is threatened. To protect the people she loves, Mayowa must draw on every part of herself — British and Nigerian, book jumper and word weaver. The battle for Alaafia will require both types of magic. The real question is: can Mayowa find the courage to use them?