In this magical middle grade fantasy perfect for fans of The Marvellers and Amari and the Night Brothers, a shy boy must step up and become his own hero after his best friend disappears at a magical school.
Jaden and Elijah have been best friends since they were born. They're so close that Jaden doesn't even mind that he's constantly living in talented, high-achieving Elijah's shadow-well, he doesn't mind much.
But then Elijah disappears, leaving behind nothing but a cryptic note asking for Jaden's help. The next day, Jaden is invited to attend Elijah's fancy private boarding school. Only, it turns out it's not a boarding school at all. It's a school for magic! Somehow, before Elijah vanished, he used his note to transfer part of his own magic into Jaden-a feat that is supposed to be impossible.
Determined to find his friend, Jaden agrees to attend the school and learn to control his new powers. But a sinister force is threatening to destroy the whole magical world. And if Jaden doesn't stop it, he'll be the next to disappear.---from the publisher
320 pages 978-1547612789 Ages 8-11
Keywords: fantasy and magic, African American and Black stories, African American author, diversity, diverse books, boarding school, missing people, 8 year old, 9 year old, 10 year old, 11 year old