Shakti by SJ Sindu

Abstract

Reviewed by: Shakti by SJ Sindu April Spisak Sindu, SJ Shakti; illus. by Nabi H. Ali. HarperAlley, 2023 [256p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780063090132 $24.99 Paper ed. ISBN 9780063090118 $15.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780063090149 $10.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R* Gr. 5-7 Shakti is so tired of moving, but her moms promise that this time in Amherst they are settling in for a while. She makes a friend in Xi at her new school rather quickly, but the pair are immediately at odds with three popular classmates Kelly, Emily, and Harini, who seem to get all the attention from teachers. In fact, the trio's ability to get away with just about anything seems almost supernatural, and when it becomes clear that the girls have been casting an ingratiation spell to make this happen, Shakti must call on her own magic to prevent them from extending the spell to the whole town. Shakti's magic is tied to the peaceful, calmer energy of Durga Ma that gives the women in Shakti's family their powers, but it's also connected to the chaotic and ferocious warrior side of the Indian goddess Kali Ma. Once Kali Ma is summoned, drawn by Shakti's anger, she is not eager to leave, and soon Shakti has moved from one emergency of stopping the spell-casting girls to having unleashed a goddess whose energy is making everyone sick. Shakti's close, loving family, with a new baby on the way, are models of generosity and kindness to each other—quick to forgive mistakes and appreciative of their varying strengths. Lush and bright oil paint and graphite illustrations tell as much of the story in this graphic novel as the text, as colors and perspective shift to convey moods, memories, or religious context that would be more difficult to capture in Shakti's first-person narration. The mythology and history of the Hindu goddesses are detailed in chapter interludes, giving them their own focus while still incorporating them into Shakti's story. This trim graphic novel offers all the right elements of magic, school struggles, and family negotiations to satisfy young readers. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois