THE PUZZLING FATE OF MILLICENT GRAVES

If life were a bookshelf, Millicent Graves would have it organized to perfection.

Instead, the harried middle schooler, whose mother has brown skin and father appears white, deals with a chaotic family life. Her marine biologist mother has a struggling fish tank business called Fish Shui, and her physics professor father believes that “chaos is how we adapt and grow.” Millie’s younger sister, Gilly, dreams of being a stand-up comic (if only she could remember the punchlines). Scrambling to pick up after Gilly and anxious about their dwindling finances, Millie wishes her life were different. When an elderly neighbor’s mysterious jigsaw puzzles offer Millie a chance to change her destiny, she begins to rearrange the pieces she doesn’t like, replacing the parts representing her family and friends with ones that better suit her vision of an organized life. But each intended improvement brings problems of other kinds and stirs up dark forces that threaten the neighborhood. When a friend falls victim to the malevolent powers, Millie has to muster the courage to face them, undo the consequences of her actions, and accept the imperfections that make her loved ones unique. The briskly paced plot features nuanced, well-developed characters and a clever reimagining of the three Fates of Greek mythology. The muted palette adds to the spooky atmosphere, while the humor in the text and illustrations deftly keeps things from getting too dark.

A humorous parable about embracing life’s imperfections that’s sure to strike a chord with readers.