The 66th Rebirth of Frankie Caridi (The 66th Rebirth of Frankie Caridi #1)

Thirteen-year-old Frankie Caridi has always been stuck in the shadow of her 12-year-old brother Lucie. Due to “hyperosteogenesis, a genetic abnormality,” Lucie was born with superhuman strength and striking horns, and he charms everyone he meets with his easygoing positivity and academic talent. When forced to attend the isolated Pythagorean Institute, a boarding school in Proserpina, Pa., home to a large number of students with similar genetic conditions, Frankie flounders as Lucie thrives. While struggling to acclimate, Frankie becomes suspicious of the supposed humanitarian mission of the institute and suspects that enigmatic principal Dr. Rodolpho Natas is building a cult. Though her initial inquiries bear little fruit, Frankie finds unexpected allies in quirky teacher sisters with a grudge against the principal. As Frankie delves deeper into the mysteries surrounding the institute, she’s plagued by strange dreams that feel like memories, forcing her to confront the reality that she may be less “normal” than she thought. Marciano (How Did Humans Go Extinct?) invokes the well-worn trope of a disaffected, outcast teenage girl discovering hidden talents; plentiful references to Roman mythology and Latin throughout add grit, and Mackenzie’s evocative b&w art opens each chapter. Frankie and Lucie cue as white. Ages 10–up. (July)