Fire and Glass

Gr 6–10—Kristina Mah is dealing with the fallout of her father deserting their family, her grandmother's death, and a new inner-city school that may be haunted in this series opener. After hearing strange noises from the ceiling and seeing an ominous image on her teacher's whiteboard, Kristina decides to visit the school's fourth floor with her classmate Dylan, the only other person to perceive the danger. Behind a storage space, they discover a vault filled with mysterious relics and accidentally release an ancient, evil djinn named Niram into the world. The clever Niram, who has a knack for creating fire and smoke, pretends to be a new classmate at school to trick Kristina into wasting the three wishes that she must grant her. Kristina and Dylan must find a way to get Niram back into the vault before she wreaks mass chaos and destruction. The fast-paced and exciting plot will interest fans of fantasy and the supernatural. Simple sentences and short paragraphs keep the narrative moving, and Chan crafts a story with fleshed-out characters and an engaging plot in this compact book. The numerous references to social media, selfies, and Instagram will also make the action relatable to teenagers. While this YA hi-lo book is designed to appeal to reluctant readers, the work will leave all readers anxious for the next installment.