The Door of No Return

Name: The Door of No Return
Brand: Hachette Audio
Availability: InStock
Author: Kwame Alexander
ISBN: 9781668610770

Author: Kwame Alexander

Narrator: Kobna Holdbrook-Smith

Unabridged: 3 hr 35 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers

Published: 09/27/2022

Categories: Children's Fiction, Historical Stories, Action & Adventure Stories, Children's Social Themes, Children's Poetry, Regional Stories

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included

Synopsis

From the Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award winning author Kwame Alexander, comes the first book in a searing, breathtaking trilogy that tells the story of a boy, a village, and the epic odyssey of an African family.

In his village in Upper Kwanta, 11-year-old Kofi loves his family, playing oware with his grandfather and swimming in the river Offin. He’s warned though, to never go to the river at night. His brother tells him ”There are things about the water you do not know. “ Like what? Kofi asks. “The beasts.” His brother answers.

One fateful night, the unthinkable happens and in a flash, Kofi’s world turns upside down. Kofi soon ends up in a fight for his life and what happens next will send him on a harrowing journey across land and sea, and away from everything he loves.

This spellbinding novel by the author of The Crossover and Booked will take you on an unforgettable adventure that will open your eyes and break your heart.

The Door of No Return is an excellent choice for independent reading, sharing in the classroom, book groups, and homeschooling.

An instant #1 New York Times Bestseller!

About Kwame Alexander

Kwame Alexander is a poet, an educator, and the New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty-five books, including his Newbery Medal–winning middle grade novel The Crossover. Some of his other works include Booked, which was longlisted for the National Book Award; The Playbook: 52 Rules to Aim, Shoot, and Score in This Game Called Life; Swing; the picture books How to Read a Book and How to Write a Poem (coauthored with Deanna Nikaido), both illustrated by Melissa Sweet; and The Undefeated, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, which was longlisted for the National Book Award and won the Caldecott Medal, a Newbery Honor, and the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award. He is a regular contributor to NPR’s Morning Edition, currently serving as their poet ambassador. He lives in Virginia with his family. Visit his website at kwamealexander.com.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Rosh (Off GR duty for a fortnight!) on October 07, 2022

In a Nutshell: I don’t have enough words to describe the beauty of this book. A middle-grade novel in verse, but will suit adult readers too. Deeply impactful, and highly disturbing and simply astounding. First of a planned trilogy. Story Synopsis: Asante Kingdom (modern-day Ghana), 1860. Eleven year......more

Goodreads review by Darla on October 05, 2022

This new series could be the "Roots" for the 21st century. I have enjoyed many of Kwame Alexander's other titles, especially the sports-theme books for middle grade. As a Gen Xer, I am not the intended audience for this book. If I had not already experienced "Roots" in print and on TV as a mini-seri......more

Goodreads review by Toya (thereadingchemist) on September 27, 2022

The Door of No Return is incredibly gripping and harrowing story of 11 year old Kofi Offin who is stolen from his village of Upper Kwanta and sold into slavery. It’s so hard not to fall in love with Kofi and as his innocence as he navigates school life much like any other child and even has a crush......more

Goodreads review by Shannon on August 22, 2022

A powerfully, moving middle grade story about a young African boy who gets stolen and sold into slavery. Perfect for fans of the show Roots or Lawrence Hill's Book of negroes and great on audio read by the author! I'm excited that this is the first in a trilogy and can't wait to see where the series......more

Goodreads review by Queralt✨ on January 21, 2023

2.5* The style wasn't my thing. The chapters are short and most of them are written in verse, which is something that I had always avoided picking up but I was curious to see if it would work for me as I usually dislike poetry. I thought that, since I'd have more context from the plot, I'd get to lik......more

Quotes

"Absolutely spellbinding: Kwame Alexander weaves together storytelling, poetry, music and history like no one else can. An unforgettable journey to be treasured and shared across generations.”—Rick Riordan, New York Times bestselling author of the Percy Jackson series

“Kwame Alexander's story, The Door of No Return, humanizes the experience of the people who knew the flavors of freedom long before they knew the sting of slavery. Alexander lures you in and endears you to Kofi and his world in a way that has you fully invested in time and place. Alexander seems to trust the heaviness of history to hold its own, and so he is able to tell a story with such a lightness of foot which only further emphasizes that weight of history that is undeniable and irrevocable. His writing is at once vivid and simple, lyrical and surgical, expressive and exacting, comforting and cutting. It hypnotizes and sobers, hypnotizes and sobers, in a rhythm as timeless as the talking drum that carries the tales of his people: Kum-PUM PUM! Kum-PUM PUM! I wish this book existed alongside Huckleberry Finn when I was in school. I am glad it exists now!” —Lupita Nyong’o, Actress and Author

"Alexander turns the nightmare of the past into an epic story for all times and all people. The Door of No Return is a breathtaking, heartbreaking triumph and an instant classic."—Lev Grossman, New York Times bestselling author of The Magicians