The Chronicles of Viktor Valentine

Few things frighten 12-year-old Viktor Valentine more than the end of summer and the beginning of seventh grade. Now that the days of playing video games and watching scary movies with his only friend Damon have come to an end, Viktor must contend with bullies, the library job his mother volunteered him for, his difficulties with English class (which he failed the year before), and sharing Damon with a new group of friends. The only bright spot in his small town of Nowhere is his new neighbor Alys. But when Viktor’s father starts acting strangely, not even the arrival of his favorite aunt and her wife can quell Viktor’s misgivings. Family drama and enigmatic supernatural intrigue mount as Viktor finds himself caught between friend and foe. While he laments being at the center of it all (“He was just this dude, trying to live his life”), compassionate, mature Damon helps to assuage his friend’s fears. Viktor’s paranormal adventure unfolds alongside healthy and grounded depictions of shifting relationship dynamics, which Brewer (Into the Real) models via the boys’ evolving friendship and Viktor’s interactions with Alys. Main characters read as white. Ages 8–12. (Sept.)