BRICK DUST AND BONES

New Orleans may be called the Big Easy, but it certainly hasn’t been easy lately for Marius Grey.

One would imagine 12-year-old Marius’ life as a cemetery boy is quiet and solitary, but that’s dead wrong. Although he’s lived alone since his father’s disappearance and his mother’s untimely death, he’s far from lonely: There are the ghosts of those interred in Greystone Cemetery, where he is caretaker of the souls before they pass on to the next place and has the disembodied voice of his mother for company. He spends a lot of time at the hybrid school for “fringe kids” like him, frequenting local stores like the Habada-Chérie, which sells magical supplies. Armed with a magical book of monsters, his father’s enchanted coat, brick dust, salt, his mother’s raven skull necklace, and an effective spell, Marius catches monsters and exchanges them for Mystic currency, hoping to save enough to resurrect his mother. The only one who knows his desperate plan is his mermaid best friend, Rhiannon, whom he befriended instead of capturing. The book offers nods to the rich history of storytelling devoted to ancestors, cemeteries, and the veil between the ordinary and the magical, and it provides readers with a determined protagonist, unlikely allies, and a satisfying conclusion that promises a sequel. Marius has black hair, blue eyes, and a grayish complexion; many supporting characters are coded Black.

A strong mix of bone-chilling and full of heart.