Growing Up & Facts of Life
![B. B. Alston - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B08CJ2XH4J.jpg)
Amari and the Night Brothers (Supernatural Investigations, 1)
New York Times bestseller!
Artemis Fowl meets Men in Black in this exhilarating debut middle grade fantasy, the first in a trilogy filled with #blackgirlmagic. Perfect for fans of Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, the Percy Jackson series, and Nevermoor.
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.
Plus don't miss the thrilling sequel, Amari and the Great Game!
Artemis Fowl meets Men in Black in this exhilarating debut middle grade fantasy, the first in a trilogy filled with #blackgirlmagic. Perfect for fans of Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, the Percy Jackson series, and Nevermoor.
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.
Plus don't miss the thrilling sequel, Amari and the Great Game!
Editorial Reviews
"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)
"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)
"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)
"A breath of fresh air in the normal-kid-finds-out-they're-magic genre, with Amari's snappy, no-nonsense narration, a mix of new, bizarre supernatural creatures and classic vampires and witches, and rich world building that reads as both familiar and fantastic…. Readers will no doubt cross their fingers for more of Amari's adventures." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"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." -- Horn Book Magazine
"An enchanting fantasy adventure filled with heart and soul. Amari is magical!"
-- Angie Thomas, #1 New York Times bestselling author of THE HATE U GIVE
"As a former black girl misfit who wanted nothing more in the world than to be magical, this book is a song to my soul. Amari is the heroine we all need." -- Nic Stone, #1 New York Times bestselling author of DEAR MARTIN
"Sharp, funny and brightly imaginative -- a big adventure filled with magic and heart." -- Jessica Townsend, New York Times bestselling author of the Nevermoor...
"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)
"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)
"A breath of fresh air in the normal-kid-finds-out-they're-magic genre, with Amari's snappy, no-nonsense narration, a mix of new, bizarre supernatural creatures and classic vampires and witches, and rich world building that reads as both familiar and fantastic…. Readers will no doubt cross their fingers for more of Amari's adventures." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"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." -- Horn Book Magazine
"An enchanting fantasy adventure filled with heart and soul. Amari is magical!"
-- Angie Thomas, #1 New York Times bestselling author of THE HATE U GIVE
"As a former black girl misfit who wanted nothing more in the world than to be magical, this book is a song to my soul. Amari is the heroine we all need." -- Nic Stone, #1 New York Times bestselling author of DEAR MARTIN
"Sharp, funny and brightly imaginative -- a big adventure filled with magic and heart." -- Jessica Townsend, New York Times bestselling author of the Nevermoor...
Readers Top Reviews
Candice GodfreyJohn
This book sucked me in from the beginning. Amari is searching for and determined to find her brother Quinton who has been missing. She ends up at a supernatural summer camp where nothing is as of seems. Uncomfortable in her own skin, she has to learn to trust herself and her instincts to hopefully find her brother.
Kellie
This book is awesome. My 12-year-old daughter likes reading well enough, but this book grabbed her and she devoured it. She appreciates that you get plunged into the exciting and interesting parts right off the bat instead of having a lot of exposition first. Amari is a great character and the world is interesting - and we've only scratched the surface. I think this book is appropriate for almost all ages, and my 7 year old son has asked to have it as the next read aloud. My daughter was so into it that I stole it and read it this morning (because I love myself some good YA fiction), and it truly is a page turner. Now the hard part is waiting for the sequel!! We found it through the Twitter recommendation of the author of the Nevermoor series, and if they liked that, they will like this. If they like this, go buy the Trials of Morrigan Crow next!
Belle’s Middle Grade
Wow! What a book! This was like a MG Men in Black mixed w/a school setting! Loved it! Amari’s older brother has been missing for 6 months. Amari is determined to find him. She even posts his picture on every missing person site imaginable. One night she discovers a mysterious ticking briefcase in her brothers closet-for her eyes only. He had nominated her for a summer tryout at the secretive Bureau of Supernatural Affairs. Apparently there were things she didn’t know about her brother. Her eyes are opened to a whole other world. Where mermaids, yetis, witches, etc really do exist. It’s up to the bureau to hide the supernatural world from the “normal” world, among other things. Amari thinks this could be where she finally gets answers to what happened to her brother. Amari hoped things would be different here, but these legacy kids treat her just the same as the snobs from her old school-seeing her as a girl from the projects who doesn’t deserve a place w/them & nothing more. Then she has an illegal ability which makes matters worse-she becomes their enemy. On top of it all, the acts of an evil magician threaten the bureau & the world. This was amazing! I loved the bureau & how the author explained it all. It’s broken down into different departments-each more fascinating than the next-& each student picks which department they want to work for. They have to pass 3 tryouts to make it. Amari wants to be a junior agent-the most dangerous, & also what her brother was. She has an amazing roommate, Elsie, who is a genius weredragon lol- I loved her so much. She helps Amari try to figure out what happened to her brother & his partner-who went missing w/him. She also gets help from an unexpected source. This is full of magic, humor, suspense, mystery, strength, hope, family, friendship, adventure, & more. Strong messages on privilege, perseverance, fear invoked hate, judging, stereotyping, bullying, & so much more. I wanted to beat up all those kids parents! The way they treated Amari! Made me sick, & heartbroken for her. She’s a tough cookie, a lot stronger than she should of ever of had to be. Love Amari so much. The twists! Wow! I flew through this! All amazing. Even the history facts told how they “really happened” from supernatural sources lol Magic goodness combined w/honest real life issues. Full of heart & an amazing kick butt heroine. Highly recommend! Need book 2 NOW! Absolutely stunning cover by Godwin Akpan too! Gorgeous!?
Jas Asbill
OMG! I hope this becomes a long series! Amari is amazing. After the mysterious disappearance of her brother, Amari receives an invitation to a secret supernatural bureau. Very quickly her world gets turned upside down. She goes from another girl on the block to a world full of dragons, talking elevators, and supernatural beasts. She also finds that every part of who she is, is considered illegal in this new world. Excellent read! CAWPILE Rating: 10
Tamika M Reynolds
Yooo! Listen this was another one of my anticipated reads. I saw the gorgeous cover and needed to know everything about it! Once it was released I got my hands on it ASAP. ⠀ ⠀ I read this whole book in 24 hours. I tried slow down but I couldn't get out my mind "so whats gonna happen next." Here is my review⠀ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⠀ Yea its 5 out of 5 stars for me!⠀ I loved this book so much its definitely in my top 5 favorite books of all time. This was the book I needed in Middle School. I actually have childhood flashbacks when reading this. The magic was so interesting. The storyline and plot was seriously relatable and well written. The characters are well developed and memorable. The mystery in the book was gripping I didn't know what to believe ?. ⠀ ⠀ If I had to give it a critique I would say... if you ever dealt with bullying I can say this book triggered the crap out of me but still empowered me at the sametime.⠀ ⠀ Also I thought the villian made some questionable decisions but being I couldn't guess the villian to begin with they already had one up on me anyway lmao.⠀ ⠀ This book could be describe as the gender bender melenated Percy Jackson. ⠀ ⠀ This is a new CLASSIC. Get it for your kids or get it for yourself.... eitherway JUST GET IT.
