Readers of Rick Riordan and J.K. Rowling will likely enjoy Angie Thomas’ new fantasy series for middle grade readers, The Manifestor Prophecy. In its first installment, Nic Blake and the Remarkables, readers will meet Nichole Blake, Alex DuForte, and Joshua Paul Williams (JP). Each member of this dynamic trio has idiosyncrasies with which readers will identify and appreciate. Just as the Harry Potter books has muggles and wizards, the Nic Blake books feature Remarkables and Unremarkables, manifestors and monsters.
When she was just a baby, Nic’s Dad kidnaps her, so the two have been living on the run—something Nic only learns later, along with a series of other unknowns. After she discovers that she is a descendent of brilliant and powerful Manifestors, twelve-year-old Nichole fears that she will never measure-up.
JP lives next door to Nic in Jackson, Mississippi. An eternal optimist and lover of bow ties, JP helps Nic maintain a wiki for the Stevie James series of books they both enjoy by TJ Retro. Alex, on the other hand, is a Manifestor from Uhuru. An innate power for the Gift lives in him. The three make discoveries and share adventures together.
One of those adventures involves finding the Msaidizi. The Swahili word for “helper,” the Msaidizi is “a powerful weapon that changes form to be whatever the person it answers to needs it to be” (76). Used by legends such as John Henry, John the Conqueror, and Annie Christmas, the Msaidizi is legendary.
While relating the tales of the trio’s adventures, Thomas’ book alludes to numerous other famous individuals, including Emmett Till and many of the Civil Rights champions. Nic takes inspiration from many of these heroes from the past who help her perform the impossible.
- Posted by Donna