A richly imagined magical adventure set in West Africa by a prize-winning new voice in children's writing, Children of the Quicksands introduces readers to Yoruba myths and legends while showcasing the wealth of culture, traditions, adventure, joy, pride, and love found in Nigeria. In a remote Nigerian village, thirteen-year-old Simi is desperate to uncover a family secret. Ajao is nothing like Lagos -- no cells phones, no running water or electricity. Not a single human-made sound can be heard at night, just the noise of birds and animals rustling in the dark forest outside. Her witchlike grandmother dispenses advice and herbal medicine to the village, but she's tight lipped about their family history. Something must have happened, but what? Determined to find out, Simi disobeys her grandmother and goes exploring only to find herself sinking in the red quicksand of a forbidden lake and into the strange parallel world that lies beneath. It must have been a dream... right? Wrong. Something isn’t right. Children are disappearing and it’s up to Simi to discover the truth.

What is the "Mother of Poison"? This area in Saudi Arabia and Oman hides huge areas of quicksand beneath a thin crust of dry sand, making it especially dangerous. Inside, You'll Find: What quicksand is and how it is formed; A timeline, photos-and how quicksand has helped preserve dinosaur fossils over millions of years; Surprising TRUE facts that will shock and amaze you! Book jacket.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1871.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1877.

Harlem Renaissance author Nella Larsen (1891 –1964) published just two novels and three short stories in her lifetime, but achieved lasting literary acclaim. Her classic novel Quicksand first appeared in 1928.