Guinevere's Gift

Title : Guinevere's gift

Author : Nancy McKenzie

Citation : McKenzie, Nancy. Guinevere's gift. New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2008.

Thirteen years have passed after a prophecy foretelling that Guinevere would one day be highest lady in the land and married to a great king. The fact now, Guinevere is an orphan living with her aunt and uncle, the king and queen of Gwynedd. Nobody takes the prophecy seriously, not even Gwen who is tomboy, awkward and no great beauty. Then, one day she meets a young man in the forest who claims to be part of ancient tribe whose mission is to guard and be her protector. She, then, stumbles across a sinister plot and fearlessly helps rescue her cousin from kidnappers who are plotting to overthrow the king. Gwen's true gift is to inspire love and admiration in people. Therefore, the author has succeeded in detailing everyday royal life with all of its conflicts. With subtle details of Arthurian legends are woven into the story, the author seems to allow each character to rise to surprising heroism. Her female characters are strong such as Gwen and Queen Alyse who are strong and fearful and take responsibilities while the mean are not around. This appealing factor makes this a good "girl power" story.

Zahrah the Windseeker

Title : Zahrah the windseeker

Author : Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu

Citation : Okorafor-Mbachu, Nnedi. Zahrah the windseeker. Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 2005.

Born with dadalocks-dreadlocks containing living vines, Zahrah does not know that she is believed to have special powers. She lives like a normal girl in the northern Ooni Kingdom as she enjoys everything that nature provides. Even she grows her own flora computer and has mirrors sewn onto her cloths. Being different to other people makes her only have one best friend, Dari, who wants to explore the Forbidden Greeny Jungle and discover its dark and prohibited mysteries. Together, they enter the jungle that is located on the boundary of the kingdom to explore her powers. Then Zahrah has to undertake a dangerous quest alone to seek the remedy for Dari after he is bitten by a war snake and falls into a deep sleep.  In the nature of exotic creatures, a magical forest, and children with superhuman abilities, she must find the courage to defeat her fear using her dada wisdom. The world building storyline that is interesting and the evocative setting will draw experienced fantasy readers to enjoy this amazingly written story with full ideas of friendship, self-discovery and following own heart.