Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Book of Anansi
by Angie Thomas
Intermediate    Clarion/HarperCollins    480 pp.
9/25    9780063225183    $19.99

This second book in a projected trilogy (The Manifestor Prophecy, rev. 5/23) is as energetic as the first. Recently relocated from Jackson, Mississippi, Nic Blake once again must adjust to a new town with new kids…but this town just happens to be Uhuru, an advanced world full of supernatural humans like her, known as the Remarkables. Because she and her father had “lived secretly as exiles in the Unremarkable world for ten years,” Nic must adjust to living with her mom, twin brother Alex, and supportive if slightly aloof grandparents. As if that weren’t enough, Nic must wrestle with the signs that have singled her out as the Manowari, the prophesied destroyer of the Remarkable world. Her newfound power further cements her fate, and her family is divided on how to keep her safe and her identity protected. When her secret is discovered, Nic is blackmailed into helping a shadowy organization find the Book of Anansi, an artifact no one is sure exists. As Nic, Alex, and best friend JP attempt to discover the lore behind the tale, they learn that Uhuru is a far cry from the utopia about which they have been told (particularly by Nic’s grandmother, the president of Uhuru). In a fast-paced and intriguing narrative, Thomas infuses elements of tried-and-true mystical tales with a West African bent, with an exciting conclusion that will leave readers clamoring for more.

From the November/December 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.