Arabella the Secret King and the Amulet From Timbuktu by Hamilton Wende

Arabella is grieving her dad’s death while struggling to adjust to her new school. Plus she’s having trouble with her friends.

Then Akbar, the broom seller from Mali, gives Arabella a magical amulet that can open a gateway to Azothia, the world of magic that is being threatened by a strange and dark new power.

Along with all her magical friends from the garden, Arabella must travel to Knysna to team up with Lwazi, her new friend and ally, to battle the powerful and terrifying Krakobek, the beast that threatens both the world of magic and ours.

But can Arabella stand up to the terrible beast without revealing her secret double life to her teachers and all the girls on hockey tour with her?