Kingston and the Magician’s Lost and Found

Kingston James, 12, has just moved back to his father’s childhood home in Echo City, Brooklyn, after Pop’s strange disappearance four years ago during a magic show gone wrong. Renovating their old three-story brownstone while fearing bank foreclosure, King’s mother plans to convert the ground floor into a café, clearing out the magic shop run by King’s paternal uncles. Settling into the neighborhood, King reconnects with his no-nonsense cousin Veronica and childhood friend Too Tall. The trio soon finds themselves at the Mercury Theater, where the storied magic show occurred, searching for clues that King’s father may have left. Inside, they discover a mysterious box that causes King’s hand to disappear—lost in the Realm, just like his father. But a menacing group of gray-skinned kids is also after the “Lost and Found” box, thus setting off a chain of events wherein King learns that every use of magic leaks through into reality, and that he’s accidentally opened a rift to the Realm, which will destroy any hope of saving his father. Moses and Gangi have successfully conjured a fast-paced, magical read set in an accessible, vibrant world where Black magicians and a mainly Black cast take center stage. Ages 8–12. [em]Agent: Jane Startz, Jane Startz Productions. (Feb.) [/em]