Imani and the Keepers of Forgotten Folklore

Imani and the Keepers of Forgotten Folklore The Isle of Lost WordsA thrilling, magical fantasy about finding your voice and the power of connection.Twelve-year-old Imani has always felt like the 'in-between' girl, caught between her mother’s vibrant Ghanaian culture and her father’s loud Irish heritage. She’s a quiet observer in a noisy world.But when her beloved grandmother falls into a mysterious, unresponsive sleep, Imani discovers a terrifying truth: her grandmother is a Keeper, and the forgotten stories she safeguards are fading away, slowly killing her.The only way to save her is to venture into the Story-Verse, a realm where all the world’s myths and legends live. But the Story-Verse is crumbling, its magic devoured by a sinister force called the Fading.Imani, the new Keeper, must assemble an unlikely team of faded heroes-Anansi the Spider from West Africa folklore, a clever but weary trickster; Min-jun, a cunning nine-tailed fox from Korean legend; and Priya, a proud but forgotten Yaksha warrior from Hindu myth. Their quest leads them to the chilling Isle of Lost Words, where they face a broken sorcerer-a fallen Keeper whose own ancient grief threatens to unmake reality.Imani soon realizes they cannot defeat him with magic or might. To heal the Story-Verse and save her grandmother, she must confront her deepest insecurities and prove that being the 'in-between' girl isn’t a weakness, but the bridge that can connect the world and inspire a new, collaborative tale.A captivating adventure about empathy, identity, and the magic of weaving cultures together.Social & Emotional Themes (Targets Parents & Educators):JUVENILE FICTION / Social Themes / Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance (For Imani’s journey of self-acceptance)JUVENILE FICTION / Social Themes / Friendship (For the teamwork and collaborative themes)JUVENILE FICTION / Social Themes / Emotions & Feelings (Directly targets the SEL component)JUVENILE FICTION / Family / Multigenerational (Highlights the crucial bond between Imani and Nana Akua)Diversity & Representation Themes JUVENILE FICTION / People & Places / Africa (Crucial for discoverability based on the Ghanaian folklore)JUVENILE FICTION / People & Places / United States / African American & Black