A Method for Magic and Misfortune

Gr 5 Up–Twelve-year-old Marcus Pennrider, who is Black, feels overwhelming gratitude to Aunt Donna for rescuing him and his sister Ariana from their abusive father. He also owes debts of gratitude to grocer and community angel Mr. O. and the residents of Grand Park, all described as having various shades of brown skin. Discovering he can cast divination magic throws Marcus for a loop. When Mr. O. confesses to being a Divinator who can mentor Marcus, the boy is torn between family duties and making a bigger contribution with magic. Marcus and fellow apprentice Jade train in an intense, violent manner. Readers will soon suspect Mr. O.’s methods and motivations, but extricating Marcus from the cycle of violence and revenge won’t be easy. The ominously idyllic Grand Park is brought to life with details from Black music and history that may intrigue readers enough to do some side research. Using first-person narration, Farmer sets up Marcus’s moral conundrum about using violence for societal good with solid foreshadowing and impactful, clear phrasing. Marcus is a sympathetic character whose past trauma makes him a vulnerable target for Mr. O.’s iron control. Descriptions of the Divinator’s violent training methods and behavior, while middle-school appropriate, should be mentioned as trigger warnings, as they are in the preface.