A Fast and Fun Fantasy Filled with Adventure, Intrigue, and Black Girl Magic!
Amari and the Night Brothers
by B. B. Alston
Series: Supernatural Investigations (Book 1)
Publication Date: January 19, 2021
Publisher: Balzar + Bray
Length: 416pp
ISBN-13: 978-0062975164
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Praise
★“The author weaves magical whimsy with honest, realistically portrayed circumstances, allowing Amari’s literal #BlackGirlMagic to shine even when she doesn’t believe in herself. This timely, energetic, first-person narrative moves quickly with clear descriptions, a thrilling buildup, and strong messages about profiling. An impressive debut series opener.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
★“This series debut is sure to be a hit with late elementary students and middle graders who are fans of “Harry Potter,” “Percy Jackson,” and the Men in Black movies….An excellent middle grade fantasy that will attract an immediate fan base and leave kids eager for more.”—School Library Journal, starred review
★“In this thrilling debut, Alston thrusts his intrepid heroine into a setting packed with magic, mythical creatures, and danger. Amari, a Black girl with limited means, confronts privilege and prejudice even while delving into a world of wonder, humor, and adventure, making this a sure-to-please winner.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
★“Fast-paced adventure and cutthroat pre-adolescent contempt make for a delightfully challenging journey here, particularly considering the ways that Alston frames Amari’s racial and economic experiences as a Black girl as the root of her strong-willed nature and spirit of integrity. It’s a good thing this book is the first of a series, because readers will be sorely disappointed when it ends.”—ALA Booklist, starred review
About the Author
B. B. Alston started writing in middle school, entertaining his classmates with horror stories starring the whole class where not everyone survived! After several years of trying to break into publishing, he had just been accepted into a biomedical graduate program when a chance entry into a twitter pitch contest led to his signing with TBA, 20+ book deals worldwide, and even a film deal. When not writing, he can be found eating too many sweets and exploring country roads to see where they lead.
B. B. was inspired to write Amari and the Night Brothers because he couldn’t find any fantasy stories featuring Black kids when he was growing up. He hopes to show kids that though you might look different, or feel different, whatever the reason, your uniqueness needn’t only be a source of fear and insecurity. There is great strength and joy to be found in simply accepting yourself for who you are. Because once you do so, you’ll be unstoppable.
Publisher Synopsis
Amari Peters has never stopped believing her missing brother, Quinton, is alive. Not even when the police told her otherwise, or when she got in trouble for standing up to bullies who said he was gone for good.
So when she finds a ticking briefcase in his closet, containing a nomination for a summer tryout at the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, she’s certain the secretive organization holds the key to locating Quinton—if only she can wrap her head around the idea of magicians, fairies, aliens, and other supernatural creatures all being real.
Now she must compete for a spot against kids who’ve known about magic their whole lives. No matter how hard she tries, Amari can’t seem to escape their intense doubt and scrutiny—especially once her supernaturally enhanced talent is deemed “illegal.” With an evil magician threatening the supernatural world, and her own classmates thinking she’s an enemy, Amari has never felt more alone. But if she doesn’t stick it out and pass the tryouts, she may never find out what happened to Quinton.
My Review
Real world got you down? B. B. Alston has the medicine you need — the Black girl magic in his new middle grade series starter, Amari and the Night Brothers. Right from the start, you’ll root for heroine Amari. Raised by a single mom of modest means, Amari attends a fancy prep school on scholarship. Along with trying to cope with the fact that her older brother Quinton is missing, Amari has to deal with constant bullying from the students of privilege. When Amari discovers a message from Quinton, she finds out the world is a whole lot more complicated than she thought. Magic, supernatural creatures, and aliens are all real — and they’ve been living among us all along!
Quinton had arranged a tryout for Amari at a top-secret summer camp at a place called the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs. Like Camp Half Blood of the Percy Jackson world, the Bureau is hidden in plain sight. It turns out that kids at this school have superpowers! And while they aren’t demigods, not all of them are completely human. For instance, Amari’s roommate Elsie is a weredragon. Elsie hasn’t yet figured out how to transfer and breathe fire, but because she’s different, the other kids didn’t want to room with her. But Amari knows what it’s like to be treated differently for things you can’t change, and the two outsiders become fast friends. It’s good she’ll have a friend, too, because even though she finds out she has powerful magic, Amari faces a new bias as insidious as the discrimination she already faced at school.
Happily, I can report that Amari and the Night Brothers is part of a planned trilogy, so more will be coming! Also happily, this book is a complete story in and of itself. There is no cliffhanger ending, only hints that more characters will join in on the action in the next installment.
Alston has written a superb fantasy that has deservedly earned four starred reviews and heaps of praise from fellow authors, including Angie Thomas, Nic Stone, and Soman Chainani. The novel has perfect pacing. You won’t be able to turn the pages fast enough as you follow Amari on her adventure. Amari’s newfound world and abilities will fill you with wonder — it’s really that fantastic. But Altson’s fantasy world never loses its grounding in reality. And that’s part of what makes this novel special. Amari faces prejudice and comes face to face with the disparities between her and those with privilege. Alston addresses these themes with sensitivity and finesse, weaving in the serious with the humorous, all while keeping the story’s rhythm flowing seamlessly.
As Amari battles bias and searches for her brother, she finds confidence in herself and learns to celebrate her uniqueness. And that self-love, added to her honesty, kindness, and bravery, will make Amari unstoppable!
–Dawn Teresa
Verdict
5 of 5 Hearts: A Fast and Fun Fantasy Filled with Adventure, Intrigue, and Black Girl Magic!
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I would like to thank HarperCollins for providing me with a copy of Amari and the Night Brothers.
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