We Do Not Welcome Our Ten-Year-Old Overlord

It’s 1975 “in an alternate version of Canberra, Australia,” and 12-year-old Chimera Xanthoparmelia Basalt, aka Kim, lives with his parents and 10-year-old sister Eila on an “experimental” farm. Preferring an “alternative lifestyle,” the elder Basalts frown upon things like television and fictional books, which pleases “super, super smart” Eila and frustrates Kim, who surreptitiously runs a D&D campaign for his friends. Then the siblings discover a strange glowing sphere that tries to communicate with them telepathically. Kim rejects it but Eila accepts it, bringing the globe—which says its name is Aster and disguises itself as a basketball—home. Soon Eila, using the orb’s powers, is studying wildlife, controlling the weather, and altering peoples’ minds. As events take a terrifying turn, it’s up to Kim and his friends to thwart Aster’s nefarious plans and save his sister. Nix (The Sinister Booksellers of Bath) balances spellbinding possibility and childhood adventure with increasing unease and tension as Aster’s influence grows. Atmospheric language, fast-paced action, and the inclusion of early D&D as a background plot device add further layers of whimsy and imagination to this clever thriller. Ages 9–12. Agent: Jill Grinberg, Jill Grinberg Literary. (Oct.)