Amari and the Night Brothers

Amari is a likeable, brave and believable Black heroine from the projects, who struggles to feel like she belongs as a scholarship student at a prestigious private school. When her smart, beloved older brother vanishes, Amari will do anything to find him again. Her desperate search leads her to unexpected friendships, the incredible discovery that her brother was working for a supernatural organisation, and pits her against the most frightening of villains – the dreaded Night Brothers. As she uncovers more and more of her brother's secrets, the greatest secret of all turns out to be hidden within Amari herself.

This is a funny, gripping fantasy adventure with distinct contemporary influences. The world-building is delightfully witty: readers meet elevators with distinct personalities and all kinds of supernatural beings with strong voices and characters. Amari and the Night Brothers has all the comforting appeal of an updated, girl-centred Harry Potter, but its roots are planted firmly in the American soil of Men in Black and Into The Spiderverse. All signs point to this being the start of a wildly popular series that readers aged 9 and up will fall in love with.