From the Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award winning author Kwame Alexander, comes a searing and breathtaking 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! An Amazon Best Book of October 2022: Inspired by Ghanian history, Kwame Alexander’s exceptional novel in verse flows as easily as the water running through his young protagonist’s dreams. Eleven-year-old Kofi Offin lives in a small village in West Africa, soaking up the ancestor stories his grandfather shares, playing games of Oware, going to school, swimming in the river that is like his second home, and waiting for the ceremony that will usher him into manhood. Immersed in family, school, and the excitement of a first crush, Kofi’s world turns upside down when a terrible accident turns a festive occasion into one filled with sorrow and anger—and that’s just a glimpse of what’s to come. The Door to No Return is a master work of storytelling, a novel that moves you with joy, fear, sadness, hope, and love for the brave, resilient boy at its heart. —Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor Gr 5 Up-The beginning of a planned trilogy set in western Africa in 1860, the latest offering from Newbery winner Alexander introduces readers to Kofi Offin. His experiences are a window to what life would have been like for a boy growing up in that specific place and time. He has a crush on Ama. He loves his grandfather's stories. He has learned English in school but speaks Twi with his family and friends. His cousin bullies him and he challenges him to a swimming race. When Kofi's brother accidentally kills his opponent in a wrestling match, the gentle verse narrative is disrupted because the family of the dead wrestler captures Kofi and his brother. They take them away from their village to the coast; Kofi goes through the door of no return and is put on a boat where things get very bad very quickly. The cliff-hanger ensures that future volumes will tackle the rest of Kofi's story. Books with enslaved main characters certainly exist in juvenile fiction, but the reality of the transatlantic slave trade hasn't been so adeptly captured for young readers to date. This important book is ideal for classroom discussion; shelve alongside Sharon Draper's Copper Sun and Julius Lester's Day of Tears. VERDICT Told in Alexander's lyrical and masterly style, this gritty and compelling novel of Kofi's life should be included in all library collections that serve young readers.-Kristin L. Andersonα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. Praise for  The Door of No Return : A #1 Amazon Best Book of the Year A #1 Indie Next List Pick A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2022 Pick Shelf Awareness Best Book of 2022 Pick Center for the Study of Multicultural Children's Literature Best Book Pick Horn Book Best Book of 2022 Pick "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, NYT bestselling author of the Percy Jackson series “Alexander lures you in and endears you to Kofi and his world in a way that has you fully invested in time and place... 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, NYT bestselling author of The Magicians “As I read  The Door of No Return  I kept thinking about how transformative it would have been to have had a book like this when