Chloe Vega and the Agents of Magic by Leslie Adame

What worked:

Chloe’s parents are undocumented immigrants from Mexico, which isn’t a common topic among middle-grade novels. The narrative includes some Spanish words and phrases, but readers should be able to use the context to understand their meanings. The early chapters describe the family’s fear of ICE, and Chloe’s sister is afraid federal agents will grab her parents at any moment. Chloe learns that a new classmate named Tiny is also from an undocumented family, and the author later reveals that a second character’s parents were arrested by ICE agents.

Since there’s a school, there must be bullies, and two characters fill that expectation. Chloe meets Danielle before reaching the academy, and her conflict with Danielle is more personal. Danielle’s father and Chloe’s parents have a contentious history, so Danielle directs that animosity toward Chloe. Jason’s character is pompous and cocky which rubs everyone wrong. He’s overly competitive and isn’t used to losing. An expected aspect of the story concerns how Chloe’s interactions with these two bullies develop over time.

Osthall is the main antagonist, and he wants magic revealed to humans. His anger toward humans comes from their history of persecuting sorcerers, as in the Salem Witch Trials. However, Ora, the head of the Agents of Magic, casts a spell separating the two worlds. Osthall wants to destroy the protective shield, which will let him control humans and make them his slaves. He captures Chloe’s parents to find the location of a powerful gem, and the residual effects of touching Chloe’s arm let him connect with her when she sleeps. These dreams tease her with feelings of hopelessness and have Chloe questioning any trust she might have with the Agents of Magic. The agents also think someone at the academy is passing intel to Osthall, so everyone becomes a suspect.

What didn’t work as well:

The Agents of Magic are sticklers for following human laws in case humans become aware of magic sometime in the future. If the veil is broken sometime in the future, it will be unimportant if the sorcerers followed human laws in the past. It’s only described in the book’s early parts, so it’s not a big deal. Also, astute readers may figure out the identity of the academy spy before it’s revealed.

The final verdict:

It’s hard to write a fresh story about a character discovering her powers, but the Mexican culture and undocumented immigrants help. There’s a spy at the academy, a family feud, an evil sorcerer, and Chloe puts a lot of pressure on herself to keep her parents safe. Overall, this is an exciting new series, and I recommend you give it a shot.