Rebel Genius

In an adventurous children’s book debut, DiMartino, co-creator of Avatar: The Last Airbender, draws inspiration from Renaissance Italy for an epic tale of art and magic, first in a planned series, in which talented children seek to keep a legendary artifact from falling into the wrong hands. In the Zizzolan Empire, the tyrannical Supreme Creator has outlawed music and art; those who can play music or draw have been driven underground or killed. Twelve-year-old Giacomo is an artist living on the streets after the death of his parents. After a “Genius,” a birdlike creature, links with him, it allows him to manifest his work in strange new ways and brings him into contact with a secret group of rebel artists who train him in the ways of sacred geometry. When they set out to find the long-lost Compass, an item with the power to change the world, they must battle all manner of terrifying threats. While the story draws on a number of well-worn fantasy tropes, DiMartino keeps it fresh with a richly imagined setting, a fast-paced story line, and numerous deftly sketched illustrations. Ages 8–12. (Oct.)