Supernatural creatures are hidden in plain sight in B.B. Alston's exhilarating middle-grade fantasy debut.
Thirteen-year-old Amari Peters is obsessed with discovering what happened to her 23-year-old brother, Quinton. He had been working for a mysterious organization and then he simply disappeared. Amari knows it's possible he's dead, but she refuses to believe Quinton might be gone. Amari's faith is rewarded when she receives a magical briefcase that contains clues about the double life Quinton was leading. Turns out, he was a special agent working on a confidential assignment for the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, "the link between the known world and the hidden." He has also nominated Amari to attend an elite summer camp that prepares children to become junior agents in the Bureau. Hoping to learn more about her brother's world, Amari attends the camp and is introduced to the paranormal, such as were-dragons and teens with superhuman strength. She also learns that "every drop" of her blood is magical--a situation so improbable, the adults at the camp believe it could have come about only through nefarious means. "The Bureau isn't against objects being too magical," they explain, "It's against people being too magical." Amari becomes determined to learn everything she can about her powers--how is it possible she is supernatural?--and to bring her brother home alive.
The definitive hook of this narrative is Alston's exceptional skill for world building. Humans work alongside mystical beings in bureaucratic departments such as the Department of Supernatural Health, the Department of the Unexplained and the Department of Good Omens and Bad Fortunes. Amari--despite her unexplained magic--has a practical, non-magical background that provides a realistic undercurrent to the supernatural elements. Additionally, once Amari is publicly exposed as having a taboo talent in the supernatural world, parallels begin to emerge between her experience growing up poor and Black and being an outcast among her otherworldly peers: "Where I'm from that happens a lot--you get labeled as bad or scary just by how you look or what neighborhood you're in." While the rapid plot pacing at times detracts from the inventive nuances, fans of the Harry Potter series will likely find much to enjoy in Alston's imaginary Bureau, which features significantly more authentic diversity than Rowling's Hogwarts.
Amari stumbles into one capricious adventure after another en route to a stunning conclusion that also lays the track for a sequel to this breakout debut. --Rachel Werner, Hugo House and The Loft Literary Center faculty
Shelf Talker: In this fantastical middle-grade read, a strong-willed tween on a quest to find her brother learns she has magical powers.