THE SECRET OF THE PURPLE LAKE
A long time ago, during the days of the Ghana Empire, there lived a girl named Ajuba whose house was by the sea…
Ajuba, the Fisherman’s daughter, has to retrieve her dead father’s bones from the bottom of the sea in order to bring harmony back to her seaside village. In fulfilling her task, she must evade the clutches of The Fish-man of the Purple Lake, a monstrous creature who guards the lake with a sword made of a thousand shark’s teeth. But the Fish-man, once a beautiful boy called Musa has his own story about how he came to dwell alone, underwater, cast into the sea by a golden eagle as punishment for a treacherous deed.
Travel the world in this enchanting collection of interlinked stories, from Ghana to Orkney, and from Spain to Norway and Thailand. Learn how Musa escaped the wrath of Imoro the magic elephant. Meet Leo of the Norselands, who left his home to find a wife and was transformed into a Walrus Prince. And listen to the story of the Wild Princesses of Rousay, a tale of long ago, when mermaids swam beyond the coast of Scotland.
Publisher: Cassava Republic Press. ISBN: 9781911115311
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‘The Secret of the Purple Lake is a glorious book and I can honestly say I have never come across anything quite like it. It is clever, beautiful and deeply thought-provoking and it is probably the only book that as soon as I have finished it, I had to pick it up and read it again straight away.’
Unicorns and Kelpies
‘Mermaids, magical elephants and singing walruses all feature in Badoe’s enchanting collection of five interlinked fables which span the globe from a Ghanaian fishing village to ancient Thailand.’
Daily Mail Pick of the Year’s Best Reads.
‘This collection of interlinked folk tales has a truly global feel, with stories reaching from Africa to the Orkney Islands, by way of Spain and Norway. Metamorphoses abound, with strong, bold princesses and kind, loving princes transformed into birds, walruses and spirits of the sea.’
BookTrust