Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston (review)

Alston, B. B. Amari and the Night Brothers. Balzer + Bray, 2021 [416p] (Supernatural Investigations) Trade ed. ISBN 9780062975164 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780062975188 $10.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 4-7

Six months have passed since Amari's adult brother, Quinton, disappeared, and while Amari is certain her brother is still alive somewhere, the rest of the world, including their mother, isn't convinced. Now Amari's relationship with Mama is strained, she's sick of the casual racism thrown her way by schoolmates, and an altercation with a particularly snotty girl has her scholarship to elite Jefferson Academy in jeopardy. Then a mysterious package from Quinton arrives, and Amari begins following in her brother's footsteps—and hunting down clues to his disappearance—as a junior agent of the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs. Alston's middle-grade debut is a breath of fresh air in the normal-kid-finds-out-they're-magic genre, with Amari's snappy, no-nonsense narration, a mix of new, bizarre supernatural creatures and classic vampires and witches, and rich world building that reads as both familiar and fantastic. When Amari is found to be a magician—a group of people who are considered evil thanks to the dealings of the titular Night Brothers—she is quick to compare the discrimination she faces within the Bureau to her experiences as the poor Black girl at Jefferson Academy. Her feelings of inadequacy from living in her brilliant brother's shadow will ring true for any younger sibling or legacy kid, making later realizations of her own worth and abilities all the sweeter. While the book concludes with a satisfyingly unknotted dénouement, there's a wealth of material for possible sequels, and readers will no doubt cross their fingers for more of Amari's adventures.