Celebrate the launch of Craig Kofi Farmer’s highly anticipated debut middle grade novel, Kwame Crashes the Underworld, which he calls “a slightly unhinged, chaotic adventure full of gods and monsters.”

Twelve-year-old Kwame Powell isn’t ready to deal with losing his grandmother, even as he and his family head to Ghana for her celebration of life. He’s definitely not ready when he’s sucked into a magical whirlpool that leads straight to Asamando, the Ghanaian underworld. There, he comes face to face with his grandmother, who is very much alive, and somehow still…a kid? Together with his best friend, Autumn, and a talkative aboatia named Woo, Kwame must battle angry nature gods, and stop the underworld from destroying the land of the living.

It’s perfect for fans of Tristan Strong and Amari and the Night Brothers.

Craig is a Prince George’s County native. When he’s not writing, he’s analyzing superhero movies, watching psychological thrillers and deciding exactly what he’s going to eat that day. He’ll be in conversation with local author Ronald L. Smith, the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award–winning author of several acclaimed novels for young readers, including Project Mercury, Hoodoo, Where the Black Flowers Bloom, and the Black Panther: The Young Prince series. Ron lives in Baltimore.