September 9, 2025 by Roaring Brook Press
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Marcus Pennrider and his younger sister Arianna are living with their Aunt Donna after being removed from their abusive father's custody. This was made possible by Mr. O., who runs the Orisha Corner Store in their close knit Grand Park neighborhood. Mr. O. kept records of injuries incurred by the children, and reported the father to child protective services. Marcus is keenly aware of his aunt's sacrifices in taking care of him, and tries to help out around the house and volunteers at Brian's Sole Food restaurant as a delivery boy, helping the community get Brian's food, which is all priced at $1 per dish. When Marcus draws some magical symbols, they come to life and wreck the apartment while his aunt is out working her second job. He asks Mr. O. about it, and Mr. O. informs him that the two share Divinator powers. Mr. O. and his apprentice, Jade, clean up the apartment, and give Marcus Circe's Cast book, which proves to be a big distraction at school. When Marcus forgets to pick up Arianna and doesn't show up for work at Brian's so he can attend training sessions with Mr. O., his aunt grounds him. Mr. O. claims that Marcus' aunt doesn't want to have him around, so Marcus stays with Mr. O. and Jade to make sure that his Divinator powers are properly trained, but when it turns out that the aunt is looking for him, Mr. O. whisks him away to a Divinator conference. Everyone seems to not quite trust Mr. O., and Marcus is warned repeatedly about this fact, but still stays with his mentor. When Mr. O. hits him, however, he has a heart to heart with Jade. Is being trained by Mr. O. the best way to control his powers and help his community?
Strengths: Books about tweens discovering magical powers are always a big hit, and the details about how these powers are trained are essential to readers' enjoyment. Grand Park is a fascinating community, and the background about Marcus' magic is developed well. I loved the Sole Food restaurant! It's great that Marcus has a good relationship with his younger sister and normally takes good care of her; I wish we would see more of this in middle grade literature. Mr. O. saved Marcus from an abusive father, so it makes sense that he trusts the older man even when everyone around him says not to. It was good to see that once physical abuse started, he was willing to walk away, even though it meant leaving Jade.
Weaknesses: I didn't like this one personally, since I could tell right away that something was deeply creepy about Mr. O., and that he was essentially grooming Marcus. The fact that Marcus couldn't see that is no doubt a completely accurate portrayal of a tween who has escaped abuse, but troubled me the whole time I was reading. Younger readers will not necessarily feel this way.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed Farmer's Kwame Crashes the Underworld or other books that involve tweens finding out they have magical powers like Dumas' Wildseed Witch or Leathley's Meticulous Jones and the Skull Tattoo (Inkbound #1).
Strengths: Books about tweens discovering magical powers are always a big hit, and the details about how these powers are trained are essential to readers' enjoyment. Grand Park is a fascinating community, and the background about Marcus' magic is developed well. I loved the Sole Food restaurant! It's great that Marcus has a good relationship with his younger sister and normally takes good care of her; I wish we would see more of this in middle grade literature. Mr. O. saved Marcus from an abusive father, so it makes sense that he trusts the older man even when everyone around him says not to. It was good to see that once physical abuse started, he was willing to walk away, even though it meant leaving Jade.
Weaknesses: I didn't like this one personally, since I could tell right away that something was deeply creepy about Mr. O., and that he was essentially grooming Marcus. The fact that Marcus couldn't see that is no doubt a completely accurate portrayal of a tween who has escaped abuse, but troubled me the whole time I was reading. Younger readers will not necessarily feel this way.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed Farmer's Kwame Crashes the Underworld or other books that involve tweens finding out they have magical powers like Dumas' Wildseed Witch or Leathley's Meticulous Jones and the Skull Tattoo (Inkbound #1).
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