Shinji Takahashi and the Mark of the Coatl (The Society of Explorers and Adventurers #1)

In Kagawa’s (the Iron Fey series) fantasy, based on a fictional society created by Walt Disney Imagineering, sardonic Shinji Takahashi, of Japanese descent, lives with his aunt Yui in Miami following his parents’ death, and each year accompanies her on “treasure hunts” around the world to source wares for her store. Since the 13-year-old would prefer to be playing a quest-oriented video game, he’s sent on an IRL quest during this year’s trip down the Zambezi River, and soon comes across a new-to-him part of a market, and a valuable figurine—the Coatl—that “calls for” him. When a group attempts to steal the statue, Shinji inadvertently absorbs it, becoming its guardian—and gaining a new tattoo and potentially fatal curse. Kidnapped and taken to N.Y.C.’s Hightower Corporation, a company interested in acquiring magical artifacts, he meets fellow 13-year-old Lucy Smith, a white-cued tech prodigy who helps him escape. The two then make their way to the Society of Explorers and Adventurers, whose mission is to “preserve the past and the wonders of ancient cultures” while working to “restore and return” artifacts they previously stole, and then to Mexico City, where Shinji must return the idol before the curse takes its toll. Employing classic heist tropes, this high-speed adventure with well-plotted twists sets up the series while considering exploration’s colonial implications. Ages 8–12. Agent: Laurie McLean, Fuse Literary. (Apr.)