Zahrah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu

Set in a world where nature provides everything, including technology, the Ooni Kingdom believes it is the only place where mankind dwells. Zahrah is dada, a child born with vine-entwined dreadlocks, called dadalocks. There are many legends about the dada, both good and bad, but Zahrah doesn’t know if any are true. Her best friend, Dari, though, is obsessed with legends and learning about the Forbidden Greeny Forest that surrounds the Ooni Kingdom, as well as the traders who live at the edges. When he’s bitten by a poisonous snake while they’re exploring, Zahrah sets off into the forest to find the cure, equipped with a library book and a talking compass.

I’m a little too old to be fully engrossed in the childlike wonder of Zahrah’s world-which, thematically, is a bit Wonderland-esque-but it’s fabulously imaginative and a good blend of science fiction and fantasy. I can’t tell if it’s a separate fantasy world altogether or possibly far post-apocalyptic, but I’m not worried about it. Zahrah herself is smart and fun and often pragmatic (we need more pragmatic heroines) and the story is just as much about her learning the truth about the dada and about her world as it is about saving her friend.