Forever Twelve

August 7, 2023
Two seemingly ordinary tweens are suddenly thrust into a chaotic adventure in this inviting mystery by McAnulty (Millionaires for the Month). Twelve-year-old classmates Ronan Haywood and Ivy Stewart are the only two students in their middle school who have been selected to transfer to prestigious West Archer Academy, an exclusive North Carolina boarding school for gifted kids. As the duo acclimate to their new environment, they develop a begrudging yet steadfast friendship that helps them weather anticipated challenges such as increased workload, imposter syndrome, and homesickness. But nothing could have prepared Ronan and Ivy for the realization that Ronan has begun developing psychic powers, or that Ivy’s roommate Abigail is both immortal and part of a secret society of kids called Evers who’ve been alive for centuries. Ronan, Ivy, and Abigail’s alternating POVs provide multifaceted glimpses into the ever-widening scope of West Archer Academy’s secrets. The appealing boarding school setting, cliffhanger ending, and thematic focus on how to cultivate strong, long-lasting friendships are sure to invest readers in this paranormal series opener. Main characters cue as white. Ages 8–12. Agent: Lori Kilkelly, LK Literary.

August 1, 2023
Grades 4-7 Indie best-seller McAnulty presents another middle-grade adventure about gifted students, this time featuring secrets, lies, and the importance of memory. Goal-oriented Ivy is determined to excel at any cost at her new boarding school. But when her strange roommate, Abigail, insists that she and her friends, ""the Evers,"" are centuries old--and that Ivy is the key to finding their missing companion--Ivy is caught up in the mystery, despite inner qualms and unreliable clues from her grandmother's compromised memory. Meanwhile, Ronan, the underachiever from Ivy's old school, struggles to cope with newly inherited psychic powers. Underdeveloped character motivations make it hard to connect to the ensemble cast, and the stakes of the conflict are undercut by a lack of on-page consequences; much of the lore feels like set dressing rather than impacting the plot in a meaningful way. However, entertaining touches like Ronan's attempts to subvert his psychic visions add levity. This book will appeal to fans of multiple perspectives and American history (which the Evers were present to witness). A cliff-hanger ending foretells a sequel.

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September 1, 2023
A mortal, a psychic, and a 217-year-old in a 12-year-old's body meet at boarding school and work to solve a disappearance. Talented, determined Ivy is driven to succeed by a deathbed promise to her mother, who died of cancer; she sees boarding school as the first step on her path to becoming a Supreme Court justice like Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Ronan wants to escape his hometown, where everyone knows that his mother is a psychic, but he can't escape the abilities he's inherited. Abigail is an Ever: forever 12 after being saved (or cursed) following a near-death experience. Their lives intersect as students at West Archer Academy, and the story unfolds in short, tightly paced chapters that switch between Ivy's, Ronan's, and Abigail's third-person perspectives. Abigail befriends roommate Ivy immediately, partly because she looks like her best friend, Grace, who's been missing since 1944. Abigail wants Ivy's assistance in investigating what happened to Grace after her disappearance from West Archer. Ivy reluctantly agrees to help Abigail, and they make a surprising discovery. But Este, the oldest Ever of all, is protective of the Ever family and wants to keep Ivy out, ultimately leading to a clash and a cliffhanger ending that sets things up for a sequel. An intriguing premise, complex characters, and a compelling mystery make for a series opener that will leave readers desperate for the next entry. Main characters are cued white. Fantastic. (Fantasy. 9-13)

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