Adi of Boutanga: A Story from Cameroon
by Alain Serge Dzotap; illus. by Marc Daniau; trans. from French by the author
Intermediate, Middle School    Eerdmans    64 pp.
4/25    9780802856296    $18.99
e-book ed.  9781467468077    $18.99

Adi, short for Adidjatou, lives in Cameroon. “I’m now thirteen dry seasons and as many rainy seasons old.” She narrates this compelling, heavily illustrated story, which is based on the experiences of a real Cameroonian girl who escaped before being forced into an early marriage. Adi is part of the Mbororos, a nomadic people who are increasingly settling in villages, which works in her favor because she’s able to attend school. She is big sister to six siblings, and she loves her happy life making dolls for her sisters, swimming, and dancing. When her uncle Amadou suddenly announces that she is to be married off, Adi and her family are heartbroken. Rather than submit to this “social practice,” they hatch a plan to move Adi to safety, and her story ends well. The pages are beautifully illustrated, moving between spreads with striking oil paintings and those with colorfully patterned pages opposite window-paned text. Ample back matter includes a glossary and additional information about the real Adi’s story as well as Cameroonian language and culture. Readers may need support due to subject matter; however, because the practice of child marriage is still ongoing, the awareness raised by Adi’s tale, and its gentle approach, makes this a valuable read.

From the July/August 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.