Zahrah the Windseeker

by Nnedi Okorafor

The novel takes place in the fictional northern kingdom of Ooni located in the planet Ginen where technology are made using plants, children who are born with Dada (dreadlocks) are despised because of an old rumor about them possessing magical abilities. the kingdom is enclaved by the forbidden greeny jungle.

Zahrah Tsami is a thirteen years old who lives with her parents, she was born dada, which means vines grow among her hair and is a subject of ridicule among her peers, except for her best friend, Dari. Zharah discovers her ability to fly as a windeeker but she is afraid of heights, so it makes her feel a bit anxious about it.

During one of their secret trips to the greeny jungle to practice and explore the jungle with the aid of a digibook written by explorers, Dari is bitten by a snake and falls into a deep coma. The doctor prescribed a serum made from an unfertilized Elgort (huge dinosaur like creature) egg as the only cure of his Dari’s ailment.

Zahrah escape from home with the digibook and her compass to the forbidden greeny jungle in order to get an Elgort egg meeting the annoying shinning pink frog and others who advised her to go back home. While in the jungle Zahrah discovers the chapter in the digibook containing information on how to get the Elgort egg.

After staying in the village of the gorilla where technology is forbidden where she is told that only the rude shinning pink frog can tell her how to get an elgort egg, she ventures into the forest again until she is met by Nsibidi, a windseeker who has come to take her home. Zahrah runs, and comes across the Pink frog who tells her how to get the egg.

She finally succeed in stealing an unfertilized eglort egg and is able to fly just before the elgort catches her. Zahrah head back home where she reunites with her parent and the egg is used to create the serum which awakened Dari.