Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy

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Internationally bestselling superstar author Angie Thomas makes her middle grade debut with the launch of a contemporary fantasy trilogy inspired by African American history and folklore. There are a lot of nods of the well-known 'Chosen One' trope in this book (mainly the big one with the Golden Trio) and I liked how it flipped it on its head a bit as we are following the trio's children and see what it's like living with a heavy legacy and expectation upon one's head as well. One of the best things I liked about this book as well is that I could tell Angie Thomas had a lot of fun writing this book, you could really feel it in the pages and with every new magical mishap that happens to our group of friends. This is so important, especially for young readers, I can see this being a great lesson in empathy and fighting for Black kids as well as other marginalized people.

As a series starter for younger readers, she's taken the core theme of these and entwined it into a younger genre - the fantasy story, for a Harry Potter reader who may (or may not) want a dose of Black History and related contemporary issues. The book's brisk pace never hinders the exploration of complex themes (injustice, racism, representation, interpersonal relationships) Thomas chose to cover or character development. Others, not so much—like not being trusted to learn magic because you might use it to take revenge on an annoying neighbor.

Nic Blake and the Remarkables is the first children’s fantasy book from renowned YA author Angie Thomas. I could see my 12 year old loving it, while at the same time my 42 year old self felt it was right at my level too. It was hard to follow, and I think younger readers could struggle with this as well (more so, since they aren't as experienced with reading/storytelling).

Maar op andere momenten - de meeste momenten - klonk het heel modern en normaal Nederlands, zoals wij ook zouden spreken. There are some clear American-African influences here, but I have no clue what their real-world meaning or form is. In a set of gleefully ingenious riffs on African and African American folklore, from “The People Could Fly” to Wakanda, Thomas pitches 12-year-old Nic into a whirl of stunning discoveries about her background as she struggles to understand her own magical gifts. Despite reading this book for the first time, it still gave me strong nostalgia vibes of being back in an adventure book, as with all those of my childhood.Interesting story, with a bit of an unexpected twist near the end that I'm excited to see what they do with next! Whenever I read a fantasy, I want things to be shown to me not told especially when it comes to intricate world building. Her Unremarkable best friend JP lives next door – but he is remarkable in his enthusiasm for the fantasy books of TJ Retro, and for hanging out with Nic. And so begins a thrilling adventure involving shapeshifters, wizards, the devil’s daughter and even a dragon. I love that the adventures were written in a manner that made the story has its own colour and personality.