One Chance Dance: a joyous new story from the author of Children of the Quicksands
£7.00£7.60 (-8%)
A heartwarming, exciting story of friendship, wonder and dance from Waterstones Prize-shortlisted author Efua Traoré!
Jomi’s mum left when he was little to make a new life for them in Lagos, the city of dreams. When Jomi doesn’t hear from her, he decides to follow. His only starting place is a TV dance competition that his mum used to love.
Things go badly for the boy and his pet bushbaby, until he meets a crew of street kids. Together, they come up with a one-chance idea to find Jomi’s mother – and make their own dreams come true.
- A brand new novel full of joy and wonder by the author of Children of the Quicksands, shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize
- Selected as the Times Children’s Book of the Year 2023
- A contemporary adventure of destiny, friendship and dance set in the vibrant city of Lagos, Nigeria
- Jomi hopes to find his missing mum by dancing on a TV talent show in a story which offers emotional pull and a lot of fun!
PRAISE FOR CHILDREN OF THE QUICKSANDS:
‘A joy of a book: rich, warm, powerful storytelling’ KATHERINE RUNDELL
‘A thrilling adventure bright with the gorgeous colours of Nigeria – glorious!’ JASBINDER BILAN
‘An excellent book … rich in tradition and realism.’ HANNAH GOLD
‘[A] beautifully evoked story’ THE TELEGRAPH
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Additional information
| Publisher | 1st edition (6 July 2023), Chicken House |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 336 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1915026504 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1915026507 |
| Reading age | 9 – 11 years |
| Dimensions | 19.4 x 2.8 x 12.8 cm |
by Martyn Mogford
Lovely book. Engaging and uplifting.
by Nicci Rosengarten
????This one brought me to tears. It really brings home the imbalances in life. It’s pot luck where and when you will coming in to this world. You might be born into a rich family, a poor family, living in a country at war or in the middle of a famine, or in a super power country in a temperate zone that rarely experiences any devastating natural disasters. What are the odds on these things? I’ve no idea, but this story is going to take you on the most amazing journey of faith, hope, love and determination.
????’One Chance Dance’ is Efua Traoré’s third middle grade fiction novel set in Nigeria, following the successes of both ‘Children of the Quicksands’ (2021) and ‘The House of Shells’ (2022) for UK publishing house, Chicken House Books. I absolutely love reading books set in Nigeria and have reviewed many books by other middle grade contemporaries of Traoré including Tọlá Okogwu and Sabine Adeyinka.
????Serendipity. Remember this word. Oluwajomiloju aka Jomi was born to a 15 year old girl in a poor farming community in Nigeria. We pick up his story at the age of 12; he’s loving school, he finds happiness in scouring rubbish piles for discarded electrical parts to make new inventions and tools, and he secretly has hopes for the future. His mum, though, has left him with his Aunty Patience and his Uncle Babatunde while she seeks a better life in capital city, Lagos, hoping to send for him as soon as she can… that was a few years ago.
????Wrenched from his loving mother, Jomi has to live a humble life under the resentful and bitter rule of Aunty (anything but) Patience. She’s a really nasty piece of work. She has her reasons, but nevertheless her behaviour is unacceptable. Jomi’s village life is turned upside down when one day bulldozers arrive and churn up the land, reducing the farmland and the livelihood of the families living there to nothing more than mud. It’s now or never, Jomi has to make the biggest decision of his life yet. He takes his chances as a homeless kid on the terrifying streets of Lagos. He must find her, he must find his mummy, the only one who truly loves him – it is his ‘Ayanmo’. (If you haven’t a got lump in your throat right now… I know the ending and I’m welling up just with the memory of this part of the story!!)
????What’s the ‘dance’ got to do with it, then, you might wonder? This is the fun side of the story, the triumph of poverty over wealth, the eco-activism mindset of taking care of nature, whether it’s a mango tree that provides shelter to a homeless bush-baby, and sumptuous fruit for food or money, or whether it is Jomi’s upcycling ingenuity from everyday items thrown away. Life is a balance and there can be beauty, soul and friendship no matter what straw you drew when you were born or where you’ve ended up.
????The street kids that Jomi meets and forms friendships with along the way, learning about each of their tragic stories, but being equally amazed and impressed by their survival, hopes and dreams teaches him that he never has to give up, and he isn’t alone, he IS wanted. These brilliant kids come up with a plan for Jomi’s mum to be able to find him – if they can only just get on TV, star on his mum’s favourite show ‘Lagos Let’s Dance’… but first they need to make a dance to get them an audition, they need clothing, they need music (and something to play it on), and worst of all they need to be able to afford to get there on the day!! Demonstrating resourcefulness, honest graft and inventiveness when you have next to nothing and you’re tired and hungry, the ‘Destiny’s Crew’ will capture more than millions of views on Instagram and YouTube, they’re going to capture the hearts of everyone who reads their story!!
????Congratulations Efua Traoré, this is a truly unforgettable tale.
by Pamela
The author has delivered a masterpiece. You get to know the true meaning of destiny and empathise with the characters. What a joy this book is. I never wanted it to end. Brilliant ????.
by Claire B.
A book about a vibrant city (Lagos) and an equally vibrant and joyful young boy (don’t forget the bushbaby!) which is accessible with the story of the TV dance competition – children who might not otherwise ocik up a book about another culture can get involved with this common language.