The Marvellers (The Conjureverse, #1)
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
New York Times-bestselling author Dhonielle Clayton makes her middle-grade debut with a fantasy adventure set in a global magic school in the sky, perfect for fans of Rick Riordan, Soman Chainani and Melissa de la Cruz.
Eleven-year-old Ella Durand is the first Conjuror to attend the Arcanum Training Institute, where Marvellers from all around the world come together to practice their cultural arts like brewing Indian spice elixirs, practicing Caribbean steel drum hypnosis, and bartering with fussy Irish faeries. Ella knows some people mistrust her Conjuror magic, often deemed "bad and unnatural," but she's eager to make a good impression-and, hopefully, some friends.
But Ella discovers that being the first isn't easy, and not all of the Marvellers are welcoming. Still, she connects with fellow misfits Brigit, a girl who hates magic, and Jason, who is never found without a magical creature or two. Just as Ella begins to find her way at the A.T.I., a notorious criminal escapes from prison, supposedly with Conjurors' help. Worse, her favorite teacher Masterji Thakur never returns from a research trip, and only Ella seems concerned about his disappearance.
As tensions grow in the Marvellian world, Ella finds herself the target of vicious rumors and growing suspicions. With the help of her new friends, Ella must find a way to clear her family's name and track down her beloved mentor Masterji Thakur . . . before she loses her place at the A.T.I. forever.
PRAISE FOR THE MARVELLERS
'Clayton does a wonderful job with skillful worldbuilding that is bolstered by vivid, detailed descriptions and smart, witty prose, and readers will be swept up in the magic. A charming cast and captivating storylines make this a breath of fresh air'
-- Kirkus Reviews, starred review
'The Marvellers deserves the highest compliment I can give a book: I want to live in this world'
-- #1 NYT bestselling author Rick Riordan
'Filled with heart, wit, and humor ... a tantalizing introduction to an exhilarating fantasy universe'
-- Soman Chainani, NYT bestselling author of The School for Good and Evil
'I can't wait for every reader to find themselves in this story and dream of becoming a Marveller'
-- Shannon Messenger, NYT bestselling author of Keeper of the Lost Cities
'With fantastical twists at every turn, Clayton has created a world that readers won't want to leave. The Marvellers is magical!'
-- Angie Thomas, #1 NYT bestselling author of The Hate U Give
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Clayton's (The Rumor Game) atmospherically told middle grade debut, Ella Durand, a Black 11-year-old from New Orleans, is the first Conjuror to enroll at the elite Arcanum Training Institute for Marvelous and Uncanny Endeavors. Marvellers, who live in the sky and are "born with marvels, light inside them that allowed them to perform magical feats," have long considered their powers superior to those of Conjurors, keepers of the Underworld "born with a deep twilight inside them." Though Ella faces many hurdles as the Academy's first Conjuror trainee, she is determined to succeed and make her family—her politician father and Conjurer mother and grandmother—proud. After she boards a sky-ferry and dons her white Marvellian mantle, though, an already difficult cultural adjustment becomes even more troublesome when a notorious Marvellian criminal breaks free from an Underworld prison. As bullying and microaggressions from students and faculty worsen, and a beloved teacher goes missing, Ella and friends Brigit and Jason seek to clear Ella's reputation—and the reputations of Conjure folk everywhere. Clayton imaginatively combines myriad global cultural traditions with an intersectionally inclusive, fantastical adventure that examines themes of acceptance, prejudice, and familial responsibility. Ages 8–12.