THE GENIE GAME

Propelled by the arrival of an unexpected birthday gift, 13-year-old Valentine Adesanya embarks on a quest to find her missing sister.

Eighth grader Valentine dreams of a creative career—she’s a “Future Feared and Fabulous Film Director”—despite the more practical expectations of her Nigerian immigrant parents. The U.S. is run by the Trio Trust, three shady mega-corporations that Valentine suspects are connected to her outspoken 23-year-old sister Vanessa’s disappearance. Strangely, Vanessa isn’t only gone, but her existence seems to have been completely forgotten by everyone in the family except Valentine. While she’s investigating, Valentine unwittingly becomes entangled in the Trio Trust’s Genie Game: She becomes a genie, or one of the General Employee Network of Immortal Engi­neers. Trapped in a bottle, she can only gain freedom from her contract by granting wishes to mortals—wishes that feed the machine of endless consumption. Set in Gloss Angeles, a dystopian version of Los Angeles characterized by consumerism, pollution, and escalating natural disasters, the story illustrates how humanity suffers when solutions to problems are sold by companies rather than created by communities. An inspirational protagonist, Valentine is shaped by society’s and her loving parents’ expectations of her as a Black girl with big dreams—and she gently defies both. The series opener is lighthearted but grapples age-appropriately with heavy themes, such as exploitation under capitalism, labor rights, and the epidemic of missing women of color.

Positive, powerful, and action-packed; will hook adventurous readers.