First published 2009
Akilah notices something wrong the moment Victoria returns from Nigeria. Her best friend used to sit tall and speak with confidence. She laughed easily and answered every question the teacher asked. Now Victoria slumps in her chair and whispers her responses. She never laughs anymore, not even at Akilah's jokes. The two girls were born on different continents, but distance never mattered to their friendship. Victoria went to Nigeria for a coming-of-age ceremony that summer. She should have returned proud of this milestone. Instead, she seems smaller somehow. Akilah cannot understand what happened to the girl who carried herself like the queen she was named after. She wants her real best friend back, but Victoria will not explain her silence or her sadness.
Genres: fiction, friendship, african-american, contemporary, young-adult, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: best-friends, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Africa, Nigeria, United States
Period: 21st-century
144 pages · ebook · HarperCollins Publishers
Content warnings: abuse, mental-illness