Amari and the Night Brothers book review
Overview: 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.
Pages: 416 Pages
Writer:B.B. Alston
Recommendations:
This piece is tailored for the cool cats in middle school. It takes a more laid-back approach compared to heavy hitters like Harry Potter, Shadow Hunters, and Men in Black. Picture a secret society operating under everyone’s noses, with a global organization keeping the supernatural world under wraps.
Enter Amari, a girl of color facing an uphill battle at school simply because of her skin tone. The snooty rich kids love to give her a hard time, and to top it off, her beloved older brother has gone missing. He was her rock, her guiding light, and his disappearance has hit Amari like a ton of bricks.
But then, out of the blue, she receives an invitation to attend her brother’s mysterious school. Talk about a plot twist! Yet, the same old problems rear their ugly heads. The story is a blast, even if it’s a bit more on the easy-reading side compared to the heavyweights I mentioned earlier. Sometimes, the influences from those works are so obvious, you might wonder if you’re reading a spin-off.
I’ve got to hand it to Amari – she’s a total boss. Despite life throwing her curveballs left and right, she’s determined to conquer any obstacle in her path, especially if it means finding out what happened to her brother.
Overall, I had a blast reading this book. Sure, it gets a tad goofy at times, but hey, it’s all part of the charm for the middle school crew. The characters are top-notch, and even though the setting borrows heavily from other works, it still manages to shine. Here’s hoping we get more adventures in this universe – the potential is off the charts!