Alex Wise vs. the End of the World (Alex Wise #1)

Terry J. Benton-Walker. Labyrinth Road, $18.99 (416p) ISBN 978-0-593-56429-5

A Black 12-year-old’s family trip is derailed by the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in this action-packed series starter by Benton-Walker (The Blood Debts). Now that his bestie is vacationing elsewhere for the summer, Los Angeleno Alex Wise is more determined than ever to win back his former friend, who ditched him for a new pal at the beginning of the school year. Alex’s mother has other plans for, though: along with his younger sister Mags, Alex is setting sail on a cruise with his father, whom the siblings haven’t seen since their parents divorced two years ago. Alex tries to make the most of his time at sea, but the relaxing cruise is plagued by Mags’s insistence that there’s a Shadow Man aboard the ship. When she’s taken by the Shadow Man and possessed by the spirit of Death, Alex endeavors to save her. But with the spirits of Famine, Pestilence, and War by her side, he has his work cut out for him.

This adventurous tale—propelled by a hero whose reluctance drips from his first-person narration—weaves themes of standing up for oneself in their personal life with high-octane sequences that culminate in a satisfyingly earnest first installment. Ages 8–12. Agent: Patrice Caldwell, New Leaf Literary. (Sept.)