SERWA BOATENG'S GUIDE TO SAVING THE WORLD

In this trilogy closer, a headstrong Ghanaian American hero takes on multigenerational family drama, supernatural upheaval, and the challenges of being a preteen with the fate of the world on her shoulders.

Serwa and friends find themselves trapped in the Compound of the Abomofuo, who wield divine wisdom against black magic, while Serwa exists uncomfortably at the intersections of both worlds. Serwa’s mom is pregnant (“just what every magical crisis needs—a newborn”) with another child who will pose a challenge to the magical status quo, her obayifo aunt remains a wild card with complicated allegiances, and her dad is being controlled by Nana Bekoe, who’s directing him to kill them all. Yet the gang of 12-year-olds manage an escape and, via elaborate clues inspired by African American history, track down the Keepers, a U.S.-based offshoot of the Ghanaian Abomofuo, who may be able to help. Serwa is determined to fix everything, but despite a supporting cast of besties, she’s often rash enough to think she has to go it alone. Serwa’s narration remains full of humor and charm, and in this entry, she matures noticeably. She finally comes face to face with her Big Bad of a grandmother, confronts the rage that makes them dangerously similar, and experiences the growth necessary to make things right. Fighting the demons inside her becomes literal as Serwa saves the world and the relationships most important to her and establishes a new magical balance.

A clever, culturally attuned finale.