Kingston and the Magician's Lost and Found by Rucker Moses and Theo Gangi. 288 p. G.P. Putnam's Sons/ Penguin Young Readers Group, February 16, 2021. 9780525516866. (Review of arc courtesy of publicist.)
Middle Grade Monday features Kingston and the Magician's Lost and Found by Rucker Moses and Theo Gangi. Twelve-year-old Kingston James and his Ma are returning to Echo City in Brooklyn. They are still grieving the disappearance of Kingston's magician dad four years earlier, but the family brownstone has gone into foreclosure and family is family. Kingston's Ma wants to turn the brownstone into a coffee shop and scrub all evidence of magic out. The neighborhood is declining since magic left. The Majestic Theater is boarded up. Kingston's uncles are at sea. It's almost too much to bear, but Kingston's cousin, Veronica is cool and he reconnects with his best friend, Too Tall. The two agree to help King investigate some mysterious clues that he can't ignore. His uncles say, King's dad can't be retrieved from the Realm, which is the universe he ended up in after he jumped through a portal in a mirror. King can't help but feel that he can.
This fast-paced mystery is twisty and atmospheric. The fictional Brooklyn setting is so vividly drawn that readers might try to look for it on a map. King is smart and gutsy and his longing for his dad is palpable. His banter with his cousin and best friend is endearing. The suspense is high as the menaces mount. These include a gang of gray-skinned kids who are after the same thing King is, only for differet reasons. And there's magic! There's talk of a variety of tricks and performance, as well as references made to prominent Black magicians of the past.
Kingston and the Magicians Lost and Found releases next week and might just be the perfect book to read on your winter break.
Middle Grade Monday features Kingston and the Magician's Lost and Found by Rucker Moses and Theo Gangi. Twelve-year-old Kingston James and his Ma are returning to Echo City in Brooklyn. They are still grieving the disappearance of Kingston's magician dad four years earlier, but the family brownstone has gone into foreclosure and family is family. Kingston's Ma wants to turn the brownstone into a coffee shop and scrub all evidence of magic out. The neighborhood is declining since magic left. The Majestic Theater is boarded up. Kingston's uncles are at sea. It's almost too much to bear, but Kingston's cousin, Veronica is cool and he reconnects with his best friend, Too Tall. The two agree to help King investigate some mysterious clues that he can't ignore. His uncles say, King's dad can't be retrieved from the Realm, which is the universe he ended up in after he jumped through a portal in a mirror. King can't help but feel that he can.
This fast-paced mystery is twisty and atmospheric. The fictional Brooklyn setting is so vividly drawn that readers might try to look for it on a map. King is smart and gutsy and his longing for his dad is palpable. His banter with his cousin and best friend is endearing. The suspense is high as the menaces mount. These include a gang of gray-skinned kids who are after the same thing King is, only for differet reasons. And there's magic! There's talk of a variety of tricks and performance, as well as references made to prominent Black magicians of the past.
Kingston and the Magicians Lost and Found releases next week and might just be the perfect book to read on your winter break.
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