Alake Pilgrim talks books about diversity, monsters and Caribbean influences: Zo and the Forest of Secrets

March 27th 2023

About Alake Pilgrim Alake writes from the islands of Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean, where people are connected to Africa, India, China, the Americas, Europe and the Middle East. She has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia and an MA in Latin American & Caribbean Studies from New York University. Her stories have twice won the regional prize for the Americas in the Commonwealth Short Story Competition. DISCOVER ZO AND THE FOREST OF SECRETS

We were thrilled to recently welcome a very special visitor to the Peters bookshop: the author Alake Pilgrim, who came to talk to us about her debut junior fiction book, Zo and the Forest of Secrets.

Perfect for 9+ readers, this junior sci-fi novel is set on the Caribbean island of Trinidad and follows a runaway girl as she discovers that the forest she thought she knew so well harbours terrifying, scientifically modified creatures and warped versions of the Anansi mythology. As well as being great for fans of authors like Percy Jackson and Katherine Rundell, this diverse and inclusive book covers topics like nature, culture, the environment and West African folklore. Find out more in our exclusive YouTube Q&A below! 

Were you influenced by Afrofuturism?

I must say that I don't think I was consciously influenced by the Afrofuturism trend, though maybe there are some elements of that in the book. I think that I was thinking more of writers like Nalo Hopkinson, who lives in Canada and writes Caribbean fantasy sci-fi, or sci-fi with fantastical elements. So that was more of an influence on me.

Are there enough black writers in sci-fi and fantasy?

I think that there's actually a thread of black writers in sci-fi and fantasy that goes back a long way. I can't name everyone, but I would say that Octavia E. Butler is someone that I've enjoyed reading from a very young age. And now we have P. Djèlí Clark. His family are actually originally from Trinidad, and he's won or been nominated for the Hugo and Nebula awards. Of course, we'd like to see many more!

Do you have any BookTok recommendations?

I don't follow BookTok...yet. But I've heard great things. And I still have recommendations. I would advise people to check out everything on the list of my publisher, Knights Of. Sharna Jackson has a great book out called The Good Turn, and then there's Ellie McNicoll's Like a Charm, a beautiful story set in a magical part of Edinburgh. I would also suggest Tọlá Okogwu's Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun, which is about a girl whose hair has magical powers. 

Watch our exclusive YouTube Q&A with author Alake Pilgrim as she talks about Zo and the Forest of Secrets, diversity and monsters!

How important is representation in children's literature? 

I think that every child deserves to be the hero of their own stories. We're all the hero of our own stories in real life, so why not in books? I think it's wonderful for kids to be able to see themselves in adventures, in magical worlds and in fantasy, as well as in books that deal with societal issues. 

What Caribbean influences does the book include? 

So I actually live in Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean, and Zo and the Forest of Secrets is set there in those islands. So the natural environments of the islands - the beaches, forest, caves, hills and swamps - all make their way into the book. And the kids in the book have a huge adventure running through and hiding in all of those places. 

There are some scary monsters in the story...tell us more! 

In addition to actual animals, like the endangered leatherback sea turtles, iguanas and agouti (a large rodent), children can also encounter completely fantastical creatures that haven't yet been encountered in fantasy books. One of them is the X, a centipede-like creature that is also a blend of robotics and AI. And then there are creatures based on the Anansi, a West African Anansi folklore story about a part-spider, part-human being.

How can teachers use this book in their class? 

This book would be great for teachers who want to work with their students on nature and the environment, for instance reinforcing World Environment Day (5th June 2023). Or really anytime you want to explore an environmental topic like tropical rainforests and islands. Also for teachers who want to expose their children to multicultural spaces with childrens books about diversity, and children who are interested in travel; it's set on an island were people have come from all around the world and their cultures pop up throughout.  

Was important to you to work with an inclusive publisher?

It was so important to me to work with a publisher like Knights Of, who are interested in many more stories reaching many more children. I think that every publisher should be inclusive, but thankfully Knights Of has taken that banner and they're running with it. As people might know, they recently won the Children's Publisher of the Year award at the 2022 British Book Awards. I couldn't be happier for them, and I couldn't be happier to work with them.

Zo and the Forest of Secrets When Zo decides to run away from home, she isn't scared she knows the forest like the back of her hand, after all. But, as she journeys through the once-familiar landscape, she encounters terrifying creatures and a warped version of the mythology of the island. With a beast on her heels, and a mysterious abandoned facility at the heart of the forest drawing her in, can Zo unravel the secrets of the forest before she is lost forever? DISCOVER

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