"Enchantingly fresh fantasy grounded in very real and important issues of the day."
June 2025 Debut of the Month
This debut middle grade novel from bestselling author Chibundu Onuzo is a dazzlingly original and imaginative fantasy, the first in a projected trilogy and, what is more, a wonderful allegory about the power of words.
10 year old Mayowa discovers she has inherited a powerful ability from her paternal grandfather. She is a logosalter - someone who can jump onto a book, and channel the emotions conveyed by those words into other people - changing their attitudes and behaviour and at the extreme end even weaponised. The amount of power that can be generated is very logically in direct proportion to the number of readers the book has had. Jumping on an international best seller or old classic could be very dangerous, not least for the logosalter. Mayowa and her grandfather discover they are not, as he thought, the only logosalters in existence and someone is using this power with evil intent.
What makes this story so outstanding is not just the imaginative fantasy elements but the way in which the story and wonderfully inclusive characters are very much grounded in important issues of the day. They realise their logosalter adversary is trying to force through the cruellest anti refugee legislation. Will Mayowa’s new found powers be able to prevent this? Without seeming at all forced, the refugee issue is made real and examined through Mayowa’s friendship with newly arrived Hamza. Even young readers will pick up on the injustices of the system his family face.
Mayowa is truly a heroine for our age. Wonderfully witty and informative footnotes might be my favourite feature in the novel and these, and the wry narrative voice, rich language, fast pace and engaging characters will have readers yearning for book two!
Learn more about Mayowa and the Sea of Words in our fabulous event with author Chibundu Onuzo.
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Leap (feet first) onto a sea of words; empowering, fun and brimming with hope! Brilliant for lovers of fantasy and adventure, this book is practically sparkling with magic, mystery and heart-warming joy!
Mayowa has always wondered why her grandfather does what he does; dyes his beard green and (worst of all) jumps on books in his bare feet. But when she gets sent away to her grandfather’s house while her mum and her band is on tour in America, she finally understands why… Grandfather Edward is a logosalter… And so is Mayowa. Logosalters can channel the emotions from books themselves into other people; love, anger, sadness, and use them to change the way people think or react for good… But Mayowa and her grandfather are not the only logosalters out there… and not all logosalters will go by those same principles… Not every logosalter will use their power for good.... Read Full Review
Mayowa has the power to make the feelings in books affect the people around her. When evil people try to use her power against refugees, Mayowa and her friend Hamza try to stop them and are forced to learn not to give up when things don’t go as you plan. A 5 star start to a trilogy of books teaching about politics and right and wrong.
This book is about a girl called Mayowa who is logosalter, which means she can jump on a book and make the feelings in the book come to life in other people.
In the story there are some evil people who are trying to use Mayowa and her grampa's abilities to make people vote for a law which would make drowning all refugees legal.
Mayowa is determined to use her powers for good. She and her refugee friend Hamza attempt to use her powers to stop people from voting for the law. Instead, she tries to make them feel compassion so that they all vote for the law to be destroyed.... Read Full Review
If you enjoy fast-paced, magical stories then you’ll love Mayowa and the Sea of Words.
The story is about how a curious young girl called Mayowa discovers that her Grandpa Edward is a logosalter and that she is one too. Logosalters can channel emotions from a book to other people in the world by jumping on books.
She is keen to learn the secrets of logosaltering after seeing her Grandpa Edward jumping on books on a few occasions but she has to practise other things, such as running on gravel to make her feet stronger and writing out lines of poetry repeatedly before then. When she actually gets to jumping on books, she learns that she has to use her powers for the greater good.
I think that Mayowa is a great main character because she always tries to do the right thing. Also, she isn't perfect and things sometimes go wrong.... Read Full Review
Brimming with heart, Mayowa and the Sea of Words is a modern classic in the making. Perfect for everyone who knows the true power of a good book …
WARNING: DO NOT JUMP ON THIS BOOK!
Have you ever jumped on a book? Perhaps not. Most people would think it was a rather unusual thing to do.
Ten-year-old Mayowa has always thought that her Grandpa Edward, who dyes his beard emerald green and jumps on books in private, is rather unusual too. Until one day she jumps on a book for herself, and uncovers a huge family secret …
Mayowa is a logosalter.
By jumping on a book, she can harness the emotions inside it and channel them directly into other people. And when the opportunity to use her power to save the lives of countless refugees presents itself, Mayowa wants to jump in with both feet.
But Mayowa and her grandpa aren’t the only logosalters in existence. And not everybody wants to use this power for good …
The first title in a dazzingly imaginative adventure trilogy about one girl's power to change the world through the magic of book-jumping.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Mayowa and the Sea of Words and determined it is suitable for children aged 9-12 years old
Mayowa and the Sea of Words features in the following genres: Featured Books for 9+ readers, Featured Books for 11+ readers, Interviews with Authors and Illustrators, Books Reviewed by our Reader Review Panels, Debuts of the Month, Recommendations, Star Books, Fantasy / Magical, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational
Mayowa and the Sea of Words is available in Paperback, Hardback, Audiobook
Mayowa and the Sea of Words was written by Chibundu Onuzo and published by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Mayowa and the Sea of Words has 280 pages
£7.19
