Review: Amari and the Night Brothers by BB Alston

Amari's grown-up, rather secretive brother Quentin is missing. He vanished six months ago and no one knows if he's alive or dead. That is until 13-year-old Amari finds a ticking briefcase, leading to mind-blowing revelations about a secret world policed by the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, Quentin's double identity, and Amari's controversial magical destiny. 

Determined to find her high-achieving brother and prove all her haters wrong, recently expelled Amari follows Quentin's lead and enrolls on the Bureau's summer course to become a junior special agent. But as maliferous magicians increase their attacks, threatening the whole supernatural world, will Amari and new friends Elsie and Dylan ever discover the truth behind Quentin's disappearance? To do so they must face the nastiest magician of all: the shape-shifting grandmaster Moreau. 

 

This revolutionary debut opus from African-American author BB Alston, at last puts a nuanced Black female at the heart of a fantasy story. Alston does an incredible job of crafting a detailed supernatural world within a world—a hidden society invisible to the human eye, where flying hybrids, powerful magicians, aura-sensing weredragons, and other fantastical creatures lurk obscurely among us. Little details like substituting the 'internet' for the 'othernet' and the Bureau's garrulous elevators—yes, they speak—were particular highlights. 

The first-person narrative reveals Amari's insecurities, which stem from living with her single mum on a low-income housing project on the wrong side of town. Her ongoing struggle to belong and come to terms with her illegal magical powers provides some well-drawn character development. 

It's a hefty book at nearly 400 pages which, in all honesty, could have been tighter and pacier in places, although the thrilling twists and turns in the final section go a long way to make up for earlier lulls. Much of the action takes place in the Bureau, and the Night Brothers aren't as prominent as the title suggests but perhaps they will be more conspicuous in the sequel (I believe this is the first of an intended trilogy). 

Due to the sheer volume of text, I feel it's best suited to very confident readers in KS2 to read independently. They might enjoy sharing their thoughts on the book with the rest of the class via an oral or written book review. Especially for children who love the Harry Potter series, Amari is an exciting, diverse alternative that is sure to gain a dedicated following. 

I understand a Hollywood movie adaptation is in the offing and this highly immersive Black-led fantasy, filled with heart and determination, certainly has all the makings of an epic. And, as debut authors go, Alston is definitely one to watch.

Amari and the Night Brothers is due for release in the UK on the 21st January 2021. You can preorder the hardback from Bookshop.

Guide for teachers and parents

Genre	Narrative: fantasy
Child-led interests (EYFS)	n/a
Age group (EYFS, KS1, KS2)	KS2
Curriculum links/topics (EYFS/NC)	English: Spoken language (Y1-6) – articulate and justify answers, arguments and opinions give well-structured descriptions, explanations and narratives for different purposes, including for expressing feelings speak audibly and fluently with an increasing command of Standard English participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role play/improvisations and debates gain, maintain and monitor the interest of the listener(s) select and use appropriate registers for effective communication Reading comprehension (Y5/6) – continuing to read and discuss an increasingly wide range of fiction, poetry, plays, non-fiction and reference books or textbooks increasing their familiarity with a wide range of books, including myths, legends and traditional stories, modern fiction, fiction from our literary heritage, and books from other cultures and traditions recommending books that they have read to their peers, giving reasons for their choices identifying and discussing themes and conventions in and across a wide range of writing making comparisons within and across books summarising the main ideas drawn from more than 1 paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas participate in discussions about books that are read to them and those they can read for themselves, building on their own and others’ ideas and challenging views courteously explain and discuss their understanding of what they have read, including through formal presentations and debates, maintaining a focus on the topic and using notes where necessary provide reasoned justifications for their views PSHE: anti-bullying; communication
Suitability	independent reader, school/class library, home library
General features	first-person narration, chronological narrative, rich detailed description of fantasy setting (hidden world), and highly imaginative characterisation

All the Black children's books that I review are checked against my Jericho Benchmark.