Wildings

In a multilayered fantasy set in the world of Sparkers (2014), lawmakers segregate the magical kasir elite from the impoverished and powerless halan, even when it means breaking families apart. That’s how twins Rivka and Arik were separated, with strict orders never to see or speak about each other again. But the political tides are turning, and as Rivka launches a search for her brother, she is caught up in a radical plot to force the parliament to abolish Family Law. Glewwe’s city-state of Ashara is an immersive world with social divisions that are simultaneously familiar and foreign. The ghettos and mistreatment of the lower class hark back to the Nazi occupation of Jewish neighborhoods, the integration of a deaf halan boy into a kasir school recalls Brown v. Board of Education–era America, and the faceless Society—magicians with hidden identities who use brute force to keep the peace—evoke images of modern-day police in riot gear. Rivka and her friends are strong-willed, fiercely intelligent, and fearless as they set out to take down the status quo. Ages 10–up. Agent: Daniel Lazar, Writers House. (Nov.)