THE 66TH REBIRTH OF FRANKIE CARIDI

Real and otherworldly dramas collide.

Frankie isn’t happy: Leaving her friends in New Jersey behind to start eighth grade at the Pythagorean Institute, a special boarding school that used to be a “weird 1970s mind expansion cult,” is hard enough. “Average” Frankie resents having to go there with little brother Lucie, whom everyone sees as “exceptional,” both because he has actual horns—a rare genetic condition makes his fast-growing bones dense; they even extend outside his body—and because he’s extremely smart and charismatic. Plus, the school bans cellphones. The Institute is surprising in many ways, not least because of the “differently bodied” students like Lucie, who are called deems, although there are other norms like Frankie. Between her Latin teacher (who’s a faun), her roommate (who’s a vampire), and the evil spirits haunting the grounds, this school is clearly extraordinary. What Frankie wasn’t expecting was to learn that she has powers that are inextricably linked to the Institute and those who run it. What that means—and whom Frankie should trust—remains to be seen. The third-person narration can feel like a rote play-by-play account, but the characters and plot are interesting and develop quickly, and the cliffhanger ending will leave readers hungry for more. The straightforward writing and the story’s brevity enhance accessibility. Frankie is cued white; there’s racial diversity among the supporting cast.

A twisty story with broad reader appeal.