ACCESS DIGITIZED EDITION
Guide/Reviews Database
INTERMEDIATE FICTION
Alston, B. B.

Amari and the Night Brothers

416 pp. | HarperCollins/B+B | January, 2021 | Trade ISBN 978-0-06-297516-4 $17.99
(2) 4-6 Quinton Peters has been missing for six months--no matter what anybody says, his sister Amari knows he's still alive--and his top-secret job is the reason he's been away. Sure enough, Amari discovers that Quinton has arranged an interview for her to join the same line of work, which turns out to be the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs. Plunged into a parallel magical world, Amari must do her best to learn and succeed in this new reality. Her journey becomes more complicated when her aptitude test reveals her to be a Magician, possessing a level of magic deemed dangerous--and illegal. Some of the scrutiny Amari faces mirrors her non-magic life ("It's kind of like how being a Black kid from the projects makes Mr. Jensen feel the need to watch me extra close every time I come in his store. Or how surprised my scholarship interviewers were that I could speak so well"). Amari has to fight to save her brother and their world--with help from her roommate Elsie (an empathic were-dragon who will probably not eat her), an unlikely ally, and by summoning her own courage, which may be all the magic she needs. The story introduces a world of enchantment, danger, excitement, and humor. While many parallels can be drawn between the protagonist and a certain boy wizard, readers will root for Amari's own unique determination and wit.
Reviewer: Eboni Njoku | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2021

RELATED 

INTERMEDIATE FICTION

The Republic of Birds
by Miller, Jessica
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Atlantis
by Mone, Gregory
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

It Doesn't Take a Genius
by Rhuday-Perkovich, Olugbemisola
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls
by Rivera, Kaela
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Soul Lanterns
by Kuzki, Shaw
More

Get connected. Join our global community of more than 200,000 librarians and educators.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing.

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?