The Daredevils

Twins Loretta and Waylon have always been inseparable at school, but as the siblings enter seventh grade, they’ll be forced for the first time to spend their classes apart. To prepare, each makes a goal for the summer: stalwart Loretta, always ready to protect her “smaller, weaker” brother, wants to toughen Waylon up. Waylon, meanwhile, wants to prove that he no longer needs Loretta’s protection. The twins take their training to the woods and soon meet homeschooled new-kid-in-town Louie, inviting him to partake in their forest adventures. Together, the trio discovers a long-buried box with a note daring them to “find and conquer your own rite of passage.” Through arguments and shared humor, Loretta and Waylon each discover the upside of embracing independence while affirming their bond. The children’s attempts to appease “Forest Spirits” by performing invented rituals, several of which borrow from various Indigenous peoples’ traditions, lack cultural context and read as appropriative. Buyea (What Comes Next) uses the twins’ heartfelt alternating perspectives, which include asides occasionally addressing the reader directly, to thoughtfully explore change, transition, and complicated familial histories. Ages 8–12. Agent: Paul Fedorko, Paul Fedorko Agency. (Aug.)

Correction: A previous version of this review misstated the agent's agency.