B. B. Alston returns to his Supernatural Investigations trilogy with Amari and the Great Game. Between the fearsome new Head Minister’s strict anti-magician agenda, fierce Junior Agent rivalries, and her brother Quinton’s curse steadily worsening, Amari’s plate is full. So when the secretive League of Magicians offers her a chance to become its new leader, she declines. But her refusal allows someone else to step forward, a magician with dangerous plans. This challenge sparks the start of the Great Game, a competition to decide who will become the Night Brothers’ successor and determine the future of magiciankind. In Julie C. Dao’s Team Chu and the Battle for Blackwood Arena, Clip and Sadie Chu couldn’t be more different. Clip wants to become his school’s first seventh-grade soccer captain, while brainy star student Sadie is determined to prove that she can do anything her boastful brother can. They have just one thing in common: they love laser tag. When the Blackwood Gaming Arena comes to town, bringing virtual reality headsets and state-of-the-art courses, they couldn’t be more excited – or competitive. But then a mysterious figure appears, forcing the Chus and their friends to save themselves from a sinister force lurking inside the simulation. Moderated by Kimberly White, youth services coordinator for Broward County Library. Grades 3-8
“Rivalries & Responsibilities”: B. B. Alston & Julie C. Dao
“Rivalries & Responsibilities”: B. B. Alston & Julie C. Dao
White, Kimberly
Kimberly White serves as the youth services coordinator for Broward County Library’s community engagement team, a position she has held since June of 2017. As part of the team, she believes in the power of libraries as an essential component of a vibrant community. White began her career as an elementary school teacher in New London, Connecticut, where she first started to see how vital it was to connect emerging and reluctant readers with the books they truly loved. Upon completion of her master’s degree in library science, she worked with an academic imprint of Gale Cengage and discovered the joys of archives and primary source materials. In 2010, White began working as a youth services librarian in suburban and urban public libraries, and since then has enjoyed creating connections between libraries, families, and community organizations.
Dao, Julie C.
Julie C. Dao is a Vietnamese American author of many books for teens and children, including Forest of a Thousand Lanterns and Broken Wish. Her novels have earned starred reviews from Booklist, School Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly; won recognition as Junior Library Guild Selections and Kids’ Indie Next List picks; and landed on multiple best-of-year lists, including YALSA and the American Library Association. In Team Chu and the Battle for Blackwood Arena (Farrar, Straus and Giroux BYR), Clip and Sadie Chu couldn’t be more different. Popular, athletic Clip wants to become his school’s first seventh-grade soccer captain. Brainy star student Sadie is determined to prove that she can do anything her boastful brother can. But they share a love for laser tag. When the Blackwood Gaming Arena comes to town, bringing virtual reality headsets and state-of-the-art courses, they couldn’t be more excited – or competitive. But when a mysterious figure appears, it forces the Chus and their friends to save themselves from a sinister force lurking inside the simulation. Soon, they’re fighting their way through epic battlegrounds that test their speed, skills, and smarts. But will Clip and Sadie work together rather than competing for the ultimate victory?
Alston, B. B.
B. B. Alston lives in Lexington, South Carolina. His debut novel, Amari and the Night Brothers, is a New York Times and Indie bestseller. In Amari and the Great Game (Balzer + Bray), the second in the Supernatural Investigations trilogy, Amari Peters is sure that her first summer as a junior agent for the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs will be a breeze. After all, she recently found her missing brother and saved the entire supernatural world. But there’s a fearsome new anti-magician agenda, fierce junior agent rivalries, and her brother Quinton’s curse is steadily worsening. Amari’s plate is full! So when the secretive League of Magicians offers her a chance to be its new leader, she declines; she’s got enough to worry about. But her refusal means someone else steps forward – and it’s a magician with dangerous plans for the League.