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Reviewed by: Emily McFarlane, Elementary School Librarian Title: Amari and the Night Brothers Author: B.B. Alston Publisher: Balzer and Bray
Year: 2021 Good for Grades: 4-8 Genre/Type of Book: Science Fiction/Fantasy/Mystery
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: Bullying Recommended for a school library: Yes Reason(s) for choosing the book: This book was a joy and a mystery that I couldn't put down! the main character has spunk and courage, and it's so good to see characters of color take center stage.
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Review:
This book is Harry Potter meets The Men in Black! Amari is a 12 year old girl from "the wrong side of the tracks," according to the other kids at her expensive prep school. Ever since her brother went missing, (and before that, really,) Amari has been bullied. She tried not to let it get to her, until one day the girls go too far and make fun of Amari's brother, claiming he's dead. Amari just knows that he can't be dead, so when she receives a mysterious and magical message from him, she takes his advice to join the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs' summer program in the hopes of finding him. But, when Amari's magical talent is just another thing that sets her apart from everyone else, will she be able to get everyone to see the real her behind everything?
This is a book filled with life, mystery, and the power of showing others that prejudice and first impressions are not who people really are. The story kept me entirely hooked throughout, and I was questioning everything right up until the very end. Just when you think you've got it all figured out, Alston manages to send you reeling. Amari and the Night Brothers uses both actual prejudice (skin color) and other metaphors to help show readers that we don't always know what a person is like until we look beyond the surface and really get to know them. Amari is a wonderfully spunky character with great personality, who just wants to be seen for who she is. This will really resonate with middle-grade students, so many of whom feel like they are searching for someone to really "know" them. I also found the author's use of language very interesting. He uses a lot of unusual vocabulary words which should help to build kids' comprehension and increase their word exposure. The illustrations are small accents at the beginning of each chapter, but they give the reader a nice glimpse into Amari's world.
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