Amari and The Night Brothers by B.B. Alston

Genre: Fantasy, Juvenile Fiction

Targeted Age Group: Ages 9-12

Summary: Amari Peters never stopped believing her missing brother Quinton is alive, even when dealing with police who have given up and bullies who are telling her otherwise. When a ticking briefcase lands in her closet she is sure it is the key to finding Quinton, if she can wrap her head around supernatural creatures being real when she receives a nomination for a tryout at Bureau of Supernatural Affairs where she has to fight through doubt and scrutiny to pass tryouts and find out what happened to Quinton.

Why I chose the book: When you have high praises from Angie Thomas and Nic Stone it has be a book worth checking out. I gravitated towards this book because it featured a young girl Black girl as a protagonist in a fantasy adventure. I enjoy seeking out books featuring young Black girl protagonist as I did not read many while growing up and it's something that I love to see in today's youth literature world. I also have been not been a fan or have found a book that has stuck out to me when it comes the the fantasy genre. And that's what I was looking for in Amari and the Night Brothers, a fantasy tale that would make an impression on me and leave me wanting more. (And I am happy to report, that it did just that.) This book is B.B. Alston's debut novel which has become the winner of the Barnes and Noble inaugural Children's and YA Book award along with becoming a New York Times and indie bestseller.

Review:

First off, I want to say that I loved protagonist Amari. We have this young Black girl who is greatly missing her brother who has gone missing, processing the the loss of her brother while trying to survive at her private school where she stares down bullies. Bullies who go after due to her socioeconomic status of being a scholarship kid and the neighborhood she comes from. The strong will in Amari to keep fighting and stand up for herself is great to see and rings true for Black girls and Black women. Black women learn from a young age to stand strong, to take on whatever is thrust upon you. (Sometimes this may be asked a little too often.) When looking at her character we also see that this strength comes from the love that exuded from her family, especially her older brother Quinton who she has a strong and deep relationship with. The love of her brother is the beacon of strength that Amari pulls from when she finds herself feeling doubtful of her capabilities. The doubts that plague Amari add to the realism of her character. No one at her age is going to have it all together and be extremely confident especially when look at the factors that our young protagonist is dealing with: her brother missing, learning of and adjusting to the supernatural world, having to show that she is worthy of being at the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs. It is quite a bit for one to grapple with at a young age and it would have taken away some of the believability of the character if she just walked through with the exuberant confidence. B.B. Alston not only added realism but also depth to the character of Amari.

The setting of Amari's neighborhood and private school in comparison to her summer at the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs shared quite a few similarities. Even within the supernatural world, Amari was still grappling with the same issues that she was facing in the non-supernatural world. In Amari's school and the non-supernatural world she deals with bias and prejudice based on her race and the neighborhood she comes from. This leads to her getting into fights with her private school bully Emily and facing dire disciplinary action from their latest fight. When Amari goes over to the supernatural world, the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, she deals with the same scrutiny. While her brother is famous, she is not a legacy like the other kids and feels greatly like a fish out of water amongst her peers. She also begins to face a lot more scrutiny when her supernatural enhanced talent is revealed and deemed "illegal". This makes her more of an outcast amongst her peers and seen as enemy number one amongst some of the staff at the Bureau. I just find that it's interesting to note that while the setting of the story changed the challenges that Amari faced within both worlds felt one and the same. One would think that in a supernatural setting that Amari would not be outcast, yet here she is being outcast due to her supernatural enhanced talent.

The ending was left with a satisfactory conclusion. I do not want to spoil the book for those who haven't read it. I will make these comments: You are thrown for a twist. One I did not see coming. Loose ends become wrapped up as reuniting takes place. Our brave protagonist Amari has a newfound confidence within her and her capabilities and she wants to pass on what she has learned to others. The ending, while it was left on a happy note, was also open ended meaning we could have more stories coming from Amari Peters and friends. And after doing some light research is when I find out that B.B. Alston will be coming out with book number two, Amari and the Great Game. Meaning this is not the last we will be reading of Amari Peters in what is the beginning of more adventures set to come from this brave and capable girl driven by love.

Alston, B. B. (2021). Amari and the Night Brothers. BALZER + BRAY.