McMann's new middle-grade series features the descendants of supernatural criminals, left to forge their own paths in a world that does not take kindly to them. After Birdie finds a treasure map that might hold the answers to her and her seven companions' lives, answers even their parents didn't share with them, they must all leave their longtime tropical hideaway. These kids haven't had it easy since their parents left, and the text explores this with nuance, addressing complicated family dynamics, grief, and the ups and downs of friendship. With otherworldly skills such as the power to talk to animals, healing abilities, body camouflage, and heightened sensory abilities, this group of preteens would be unstoppable if they could only figure out how to wield their gifts as a team. They must learn how to survive on their own and create the identities that fit them best rather than live with those that prior generations have imposed upon them, intentionally or not. Entertaining and meaningful.

Gr 3--7--Birdie and Brix, along with Tenner, Cabot, and Seven, once lived with their parents in the city of Estero. They all are supernaturals, like their parents, with powers plucked from the animal kingdom, such as camouflage and night vision. When the city condemned the use of superpowers and labeled them criminals, the families fled for safety to an island far away from civilization. While the children were still very young, all but Birdie and Brix's dad left to confront their mislabeled reputations. That was 15 years ago, and no one has heard from them since. As far as the kids know, their parents are dead. While still grappling with this abandonment, the five kids face a new dilemma--the death of the remaining parental figure in their lives, Birdie and Brix's dad, and a note that directs Birdie to find a secret map and deliver it to her mother in Estero. Though told to keep this mission a secret, Birdie is forced to share this new information with the other supernaturals so they can join forces and help uncover the surprising truth behind their parents' disappearance in the unfamiliar, modern city of Estero. This new series blends science fiction with the animal kingdom, highlighting incredible feats of nature alongside a compelling quest to survive. VERDICT Middle graders seeking a new twist on science fiction and superpower heroism will find this fast-paced first installment the answer to their search.--Sabrina Carnesi

A decade and a half after their supernatural criminal parents stole a fortune, five children raised on a tropical island enter the mainstream world and contend with their parents' complicated legacy. When her father--the only adult who hasn't vanished during runs to Estero over the last several years--dies, 13-year-old Birdie Golden, who can communicate with animals, is determined to follow his last request: find her mother and pass on a map to a fabled treasure stash, which he'd moved without telling the other adults. Birdie returns to Estero City, accompanied by younger brother Brix, whose super-resilience allows for rapid healing (the siblings are white); brown-skinned Tenner Cordoba, who possesses superhuman senses; Seven Palacio, whose camouflage powers result in changing skin tone; and white Cabot Stone, whose powers have yet to manifest. But the crew's special abilities and unfamiliarity with modern life make it difficult to function--let alone track down their missing parents--in a world where being supernatural is a crime. Though the worldbuilding feels ungrounded in McMann's (the Unwanteds series) cohort adventure, an alternating third-person perspective deftly depicts the five friends struggling to remain together as they navigate contemporary technologies, all the while employing their superpowers to survive in a dangerous new environment. Ages 8--12. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Feb).