From the critically acclaimed author of Children of the Quicksands - shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize - comes a breathtaking magical adventure ... Kuki is sure that the old family curse of the Abiku is a myth - she will not die young.

Then, she meets a new friend, Enilo, while exploring the ruins of a forbidden house. When Kuki finds Enilo playing with children that are unmistakeably Arike - wicked spirits - she realises her curse might be true after all.

But the friends form a pact: Enilo promises to go to the spirit realm and destroy the secret charm that binds her there. But if she doesn't return in one day and night, Kuki will fall dangerously ill ...

The second novel by Times/Chicken House Competition-winning Efua Traore, author of critically acclaimed Children of the Quicksands

A beautifully evoked middle-grade adventure set in the author's native Nigeria and drawing from rich Yoruba mythology

A story about the power of female friendship over fear and superstition