The Marvellers

February 15, 2022
Grades 5-7 Floating in the sky, safely away from the Fewel (contemporary nonmagical) world, the Arcanum Training Institute brings together magical practices from across the globe, teaching young Marvellers to discover and control their powers. True integration is only coming to the school now, however, with 11-year-old Ella, the first Conjuror to be admitted. The Marvellian world is skeptical of Conjurors and their necromantic brand of magic, and Ella's first year is marked by harassment and discrimination. When a notorious convict known as the Ace of Anarchy escapes prison, Conjurors are accused of helping, and when her plot to return to power intersects with Ella's investigation into a missing teacher, Ella must fight to clear her family's name--and survive. Clayton's middle-grade debut tackles the lack of diversity in the magic-school subgenre, featuring a Black heroine from New Orleans along with a culturally rich milieu and supporting cast. The world building is impressive in its breadth and depth, painting every scene with amusingly alliterative details of magic, food, and commerce, plus regular interstitial epistolary clippings. Sky's the limit for this promising series.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: This middle-grade debut will have readers buzzing as much for its best-selling author as for the desperately needed fresh take on magic schools.

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Starred review from April 4, 2022
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. Agent: Victoria Marini, Irene Goodman Literary, in association with Molly Ker Hawn, Bent Agency.

Starred review from June 1, 2022

Gr 3-7-Eleven-year-old Ella Durand is excited to be the first Conjuror to attend the Arcanum Training Institute for Marvelous and Uncanny Endeavors. At the institute in the sky, aspiring Marvellers from all over the world study and hone their skills with the hope of being sorted into one of five paragons: touch, vision, spirit, sound, and taste. Unfortunately, Ella has to contend with her classmates' preconceived notions of Conjurors being unnatural, bad, and untrustworthy. Despite a few missteps, Ella makes new friends, excels in her class, and learns from her favorite teacher and mentor. Things take a turn for the worse when the Ace of Anarchy, an infamous criminal, escapes from prison. People assume the escape was with a Conjuror's help, making them even more suspicious of Ella and her fellow Conjurors. As if things weren't bad enough, Ella's beloved mentor also disappears. It's up to Ella and her friends to get to the bottom of things and prove once and for all that she belongs. Ella is an inspirational heroine who has the formidable task of being the first Conjuror at the institute. Though her classmates' snide comments upset her, she doesn't back down from them, stares right back when they glare at her, and speaks up for herself and her friends. Thanks to the unique magic system and the descriptive worldbuilding, readers will find themselves transported. As with many description-heavy fantasy texts, readers should expect a steady yet entertaining read. This novel is an exemplary example of diversity with a Black girl protagonist, and characters representing a variety of cultures, skin tones, gender identities, sexual orientations, and religious affiliations. VERDICT This fun, immersive tale is a must-purchase for all collections.-Myiesha Speight

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2022
Eleven-year-old Ella Durand is poised to attend the Arcanum Training Institute for Marvelous and Uncanny Endeavors, a school specifically designed to educate magical youth in developing the arts of touch, vision, spirit, sound, and taste. As the first conjuror student, Ella has the whole magical world looking at her, with some rooting for her success and others hoping for her demise. Although she is shunned by most of her classmates, Ella finds friendship in two fellow outcasts: Brigit, her roommate, who hates magic and detests the school; and Jason, her school guide, who always has a magical companion with him. When a terrifying felon escapes the nearby prison, allegedly with the aid of a conjuror, tensions swell and protests mount in the Marvellian world, and Ella faces increased rumors and prejudice against her. She and her friends must work together to clear the conjuror name before she is expelled and conjurors are forbidden to set foot in the Arcanum Institute ever again. Clayton (The Belles, rev. 5/18; The Everlasting Rose, rev. 3/19) is adept at building inclusive fantasy worlds filled with magic, lore, and beauty. With Ella's memorable voice and unique characterization, this is a marvelous middle-grade adventure, indeed. S. R. Toliver

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from March 15, 2022
A Black girl embarks on an unprecedented journey to tap deeper into her magic. Ella Durand is an 11-year-old from New Orleans, where she lives with her conjure-politician father, notorious Conjuror mother, grandmother, and little sister, Winnie. Ella makes history as the first Conjuror to be accepted into the Arcanum Training Institute, where she can learn to become a Marveller. Ella is eager to discover her marvel and to find out more about a type of magic so different from what she has grown up with, but integrating into this new school turns out to be harder than she hoped. Fortunately, she makes new friends, Jason and Brigit, who help her better navigate life at the school. After Ella's family becomes embroiled in controversy due to allegations of their connection to an infamous escaped criminal and her teacher and mentor, Masterji Thakur, goes missing, she needs her friends' help to help set things right. 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. The novel celebrates the diverse peoples and customs that make up Ella's world. Parallels between the world of the Marvellers and real-world history around discrimination, privilege, marginalization, and stereotyping are clear without being heavy-handed. A charming cast and captivating storylines make this a breath of fresh air. An enthralling fantasy adventure full of bravery, love, and humor. (map) (Fantasy. 8-12)

COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2022
Eleven-year-old Ella Durand is poised to attend the Arcanum Training Institute for Marvelous and Uncanny Endeavors, a school specifically designed to educate magical youth in developing the arts of touch, vision, spirit, sound, and taste. As the first conjuror student, Ella has the whole magical world looking at her, with some rooting for her success and others hoping for her demise. Although she is shunned by most of her classmates, Ella finds friendship in two fellow outcasts: Brigit, her roommate, who hates magic and detests the school; and Jason, her school guide, who always has a magical companion with him. When a terrifying felon escapes the nearby prison, allegedly with the aid of a conjuror, tensions swell and protests mount in the Marvellian world, and Ella faces increased rumors and prejudice against her. She and her friends must work together to clear the conjuror name before she is expelled and conjurors are forbidden to set foot in the Arcanum Institute ever again. Clayton (The Belles, rev. 5/18; The Everlasting Rose, rev. 3/19) is adept at building inclusive fantasy worlds filled with magic, lore, and beauty. With Ella's memorable voice and unique characterization, this is a marvelous middle-grade adventure, indeed.

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)