Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy

"I think it was a great move. I love when authors can move around between different ages. With this audiobook, she’s moved not just into middle grade, but it’s also a really rich fantasy novel . It’s a good one for ages 8-12 and even older, for kids who are looking for a fantasy book that’s along the lines of Amari and the Night Brothers and Tristan Strong , some other favourites. It’s narrated by one of my favourite narrators, Joniece Abbott-Pratt, who has so much energy for stories like this where we’ve got many different characters. We’ve got kids being kids but also discovering new responsibilities and going on magical missions, and encountering different creatures. There’s a lot going on in the book, but there’s also some history woven into it, and it makes for a really exciting audiobook. When we were listening to it with the kids I was hearing a lot of “Oh my gosh, what!” at the plot twists. It’s the first in a series and I know kids love a good series . It’s a book that’s a lot of fun to get in on now, and then wait for book two to see what happens next. I’d say both Southern culture but also Black American culture, with stories that came over from Africa and have transformed here in America. And she puts her own twist on them. I think it’s so fun, like in Tristan Strong when you’ve got stories about Black kids who are learning from their ancestors and their past, but also making you feel very present and making it feel very alive for kids who are listening. It’s exciting to see and read so many different stories instead of always more of the same. For any kid it’s fun to discover new – maybe new to them – stories. But also, for kids like Angie when she was young, it’s very affirming to get to read stories about kids like you, who are the heroes getting to go on these big adventures. Nic Blake, and Stuntboy who we just talked about, are both great examples of kids who are getting to be the hero in their story, and that’s so much fun to read."