A friend recently lamented that, after starting Harry Potter from the top with her children at the beginning of the pandemic, they had finally finished and she wasn’t sure what to read next.


That’s where Tomi Adeyemi comes in, the Hugo and Nebula award winning author of The Children of Blood and Bone series. Soon to be a television series from Paramount +, who outbid Disney to get the rights to the adaptation, TCoBaB follows the story of Zélie, one of the few survivors of a great purge by a ruthless and terrifying king who wants to eradicate all magic, and magic users, from across his lands and then the world.

Filled with West African mythology, Afrofuturism and loving nods to Avatar: The Last Airbender, this series is loaded with wonder, danger and well thought out, flawed, multi-dimensional characters. There’s also an element of Greek tragedy in the works ie: every time one tries to prevent a prophecy you inevitably make it happen.


If you’re looking for a new series to start with your children, or for yourself, I would highly recommend checking these books out!