When it happens to sweet, Disney princess–like Sophie and her friend Agatha, plain of features, sour of disposition and low of self-esteem, they are both horrified to discover that they’ve been dropped not where they expect but at Evil and at Good respectively. Those who survive to graduate become major or minor characters in fairy tales. Ezra is of Trinidadian and Polish descent, Brian is implied White, and the supporting characters have a broad range of racial backgrounds.Ĭhainani works an elaborate sea change akin to Gregory Maguire’s Wicked (1995), though he leaves the waters muddied.Įvery four years, two children, one regarded as particularly nice and the other particularly nasty, are snatched from the village of Gavaldon by the shadowy School Master to attend the divided titular school. The themes and social commentary found here are gentle and organic-never heavy-handed-and the plot’s antagonists are far from two-dimensional, expertly reflecting real-life human complexity for a middle-grade audience. Featuring snappy dialogue from earnest tween voices, skillful prose guides this engrossing story from start to finish. Together, the two boys offer support for one another as they come of age and try to find their best selves amid the turbulent times of seventh grade.

Thankfully, he isn’t completely alone: Ezra, an open-hearted fellow member of their school’s basketball team, feels a kinship (and possibly more) with quiet and elusive Brian. Now, left with the responsibility of caring for his younger brother, Richie, and juggling the massive life changes that come in the aftermath, Brian can’t quite keep it all together. Two boys in Halifax, Nova Scotia, grow close as they encounter adolescent struggles and life changes.Ĭhronic overthinker Brian already faces severe social anxiety and isolation from his peers when his 13th birthday starts off about as badly as a birthday can go: His father leaves home, possibly on the run from the police, and his mother attempts suicide in response.

Thanks a Lot, Universe by Chad Lucas