Freedom Fire

September 1, 2024
After his alleged participation in a brawl, twelve-year-old Jackson Freeman is sent to Chicago to live with an uncle and grandmother he barely knows. Awkward and shy, Jax expects to confront the typical woes of sixth-grade life: new school, classmates, routines. However, these ordinary challenges are soon overshadowed by the discovery of a magical world where families summon powers through their ancestors. Enrolled in a special class for the children of summoning families, Jax learns of his magical legacy, an inheritance that reveals unique talents and historical mistakes. As he navigates this new world, Jax makes allies and confronts powerful adversaries, all while attempting to balance his magical training with the challenges of everyday life. Each conflict tests his understanding of loyalty, courage, family, and friendship, culminating in a task that will transform his and his friends' lives forever. Filled with adventure, heart, and a touch of humor, Mbalia's (Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, rev. 7/20, and sequels) novel is a well-crafted speculative tale that captures the complexity of family and friendship bonds and the difficulty of finding and accepting one's true self. The fast-paced plot and Jax's memorable, conversational voice will keep readers engaged. This compelling narrative offers a thoughtful exploration of identity, heritage, and ancestral connection. S. R. Toliver

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from September 15, 2024
Grades 5-8 *Starred Review* When Jax arrives in Chicago to live with his uncle, he doesn't expect to run into malevolent spirits haunting the train station. But when he steps onto the platform, he strangely knows the entire train schedule; apparently, this intuition was a gift from his great-great-granddad. Soon, Jax is drawn into an underground world of the magically gifted, summoners who can call upon the power of their ancestral spirits. While he learns to harness his magic, the vengeful Coin family sets their sights on him, marking him as a potential threat when a shadow summoner begins to steal heirlooms and destroy the neighborhoods of the five summoner families. Jax's great-great-granddad was accused of stealing power, too, but it was to help restore a spirit-realm railroad that connected all the summoning communities across the world. Partnering up with fellow classmates to solve the shadow-summoner mystery, Jax discovers that this ""Gray Line"" was just the beginning of what his great-great-grandad hoped to build. Mbalia's exciting new series starter, part of his Freedom Fire imprint, blends the history of the gandy dancers and Black train porters with magic rooted in spiritualism. With Jax's humor and wit shining even in the darkest moments, fans of Tristan Strong and magic-school stories will want this one on their shelves.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

August 15, 2024
Mbalia takes the legacy of Pullman porters as inspiration for his latest fantasy world rooted in Black lore and traditions in this series opener. Twelve-year-old Jax Freeman is an unwilling transplant to Chicago, sent away from his Raleigh, North Carolina, home by his parents after an incident lands him in the juvenile justice system. Just about as soon as he descends from the train, the weirdness starts: Inanimate objects speak to him, a strange old woman tells him his ancestors need him, and a terrifying creature tries to steal his skin. The strangeness keeps building, from the inspirational signs at his grandmother's house that keep changing their messages to the class in...magic?...at DuSable Middle School. And what's with the peculiar reactions he gets whenever people learn his surname? Pretty soon Jax is riding a magic train called the Shriek, charged with a mission to heal a feud among the five magical summoning families of Chicago--a mission that killed his great-great-grandfather. Jax spends most of the novel in a state of frustration as he tries to understand this new world, and readers may sympathize as they wait with him for other characters to dole out information. Mbalia has so much fun developing the world's rules and inhabitants, though, that readers will probably not mind the adventure's bagginess. Jax has a digressive narrative style that runs to broad comedy, but it's his fundamental decency that really shines. All aboooooard!(Fantasy. 8-12)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 22, 2024
Following “the brawl back in Raleigh,” Black 12-year-old Jax Freeman is sent to stay with his grandmother and uncle in Chicago. But when he arrives, bizarre things start to happen. First he overhears a conversation between a belt buckle and pair of glasses. Then he encounters a stranger who tells him he has a legacy to fulfill. Things take a dark turn when he’s attacked by a train conductor intent on wearing Jax’s skin. The supernatural occurrences continue as Jax starts at a new school, where he joins a class of summoners who can access magic through family heirlooms. Jax is convinced he’s in the wrong place, but everyone seems to know him and his family name. When he accidentally unleashes a spirit and learns about a magical war that’s been brewing for decades between his
family and another, it’s up to Jax to use his
newfound powers to stop malevolent forces from endangering others. Though the magical lore is occasionally muddled, Mbalia (the Tristan Strong series) nevertheless delivers jam-packed action sequences and fleshed-out depictions of family, shame, and bravery via Jax’s humorous voice in this absorbing romp. Ages 8–12. Agent: Patrice Caldwell, New Leaf Literary.

July 1, 2024
After his alleged participation in a brawl, twelve-year-old Jackson Freeman is sent to Chicago to live with an uncle and grandmother he barely knows. Awkward and shy, Jax expects to confront the typical woes of sixth-grade life: new school, classmates, routines. However, these ordinary challenges are soon overshadowed by the discovery of a magical world where families summon powers through their ancestors. Enrolled in a special class for the children of summoning families, Jax learns of his magical legacy, an inheritance that reveals unique talents and historical mistakes. As he navigates this new world, Jax makes allies and confronts powerful adversaries, all while attempting to balance his magical training with the challenges of everyday life. Each conflict tests his understanding of loyalty, courage, family, and friendship, culminating in a task that will transform his and his friends' lives forever. Filled with adventure, heart, and a touch of humor, Mbalia's (Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, rev. 7/20, and sequels) novel is a well-crafted speculative tale that captures the complexity of family and friendship bonds and the difficulty of finding and accepting one's true self. The fast-paced plot and Jax's memorable, conversational voice will keep readers engaged. This compelling narrative offers a thoughtful exploration of identity, heritage, and ancestral connection.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)