If you are under 16, please obtain your parent/guardian’s permission before submitting or ask your parent/guardian to submit on your behalf. This is so important, especially for young readers, I can see this being a great lesson in empathy and fighting for Black kids as well as other marginalized people. I loved the lore behind the Gift and the Remarkables, and its connection with the enslavement of Black people in the US and the Underground Railway.

I still don't think it works, but if this ends up being a series, hopefully a freshly conceived story will work better for the sequel. Others, not so much — like not being trusted to learn magic because you might use it to take revenge on an annoying neighbour. year old Nic, who has always known she comes from a remarkable (magic) family, finds out that the plot of her favorite fantasy series is actually true and involves her family and … well her destiny. There are a lot of nods of the well-known 'Chosen One' trope in this book (mainly the big one with the Golden Trio) and I liked how it flipped it on its head a bit as we are following the trio's children and see what it's like living with a heavy legacy and expectation upon one's head as well.By submitting a review you grant us the right to display and use it in any way; please read our General Legal Notices for full details. I haven't charted out my visits for the summer term, but I'm sure there are several in the south) and thanks so much for being so fantastic! When her godfather gives her a pen that she can send messages to whoever she thinks of she decides to contact her mother, trouble is Nic’s father hasn’t been completely honest with her about why it is just them and her actions change the course of her life forever. A very fun and magic-filled adventure that anyone who loves anything magical or urban fantasy will appreciate. Thomas has been a force on the young adult scene, and her first middle grade novel proves her range extends across genre and age groups; she weaves complex fantasy stories as deftly as realistic ones.

I suppose overall I struggled to see the point in this story (other than it being to fill the lack of representation for Black kids in this genre). While I was not the target audience of this book as a white, thirty-something woman, I just know that any child that sees themselves represented in the pages of this story is going to absolutely love it, and this makes me very happy. But before she has a chance to convince him to teach her the gift, a series of shocking revelations and terrifying events launch Nic and two friends on a hunt for a powerful magic tool she’s never heard of…to save her father from imprisonment for a crime she refuses to believe he committed. Despite reading this book for the first time, it still gave me strong nostalgia vibes of being back in an adventure book, as with all those of my childhood.But Nic, her best friend JP and later addition Alex are a threesome with strengths, foibles, great interaction and both history and a future together as the plot moves towards the first of many denouements that spell 'coming soon' for future chapters.

Additionally there were a lot of big twists towards the end that made the last quarter of the book very fast paced. Your selection was perfect for our children and what really made the difference was your ability to engage with each child, discuss their interests and help them to choose a suitable book based on your extensive knowledge of the books you were selling. The comparison of her magical fictional world and our very flawed non-magical world will hopefully be a great way for younger readers (and the older ones who pick this up) to truly see the disparity with which certain people in society are treated in comparison to others. Character development will encourage questions from middle-grade readers and will be a topic of discussion. Yesterday a parent came over to tell me how impressed she was by the book fair and that you did a fabulous job of selling the books to the children first.

I was glad to see her incorporating elements of African American history into the story, but at least at the halfway point, none of it seems to have much resonance. Even the characters who are (supposed to be) antagonists are well-developed, and their (back)story is layered enough to make the reader think about them and the choices that led them to that path. Then again, Nic’s father earns a living by capturing horrid beasts like ‘ haints, demons and ghouls‘ and disposing of them, although he’s officially a handyman. This is one of those rare books that will instantly become the best friend you didn't know you needed.

The Manifestor Prophecy is a remarkable (pun intended), superbly written book with a wonderfully nuanced, diverse, and developed cast of characters. On her birthday, Nic is granted a hellhound as a gift and is supposed to attend a fun book signing until a series of events lead Nic's father to keeping her home. This is one of those rare books that will instantly become the best friend you didn’t know you needed. I think I've always felt that way about her writing capabilities and it continues to show in this book.As a series starter for younger readers, she's taken the core theme of these and entwined it into a younger genre - the fantasy story, for a Harry Potter reader who may (or may not) want a dose of Black History and related contemporary issues. Then again, what if the biggest truth that Nic’s ever learned is completely destroyed at the same time? Although there are plenty of magical elements the emphasis throughout the story is that you do not actually need the magic to fulfil your potential or achieve great things in your life.