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About the Author
DHONIELLE CLAYTON spent most of her childhood under her grandmother's table with a stack of books. She hails from the Washington, D.C. suburbs on the Maryland side. She is the New York Times-bestselling author of The Belles series, Shattered Midnight, co-author of Blackout, and the co-author of The Rumor Game and the Tiny Pretty Things duology, a Netflix original series.
Dhonielle Clayton taught secondary school for several years, and is a former elementary and middle school librarian. She is COO of the non-profit We Need Diverse Books, and President of Cake Creative, an IP story kitchen dedicated to diverse books for all ages. She’s an avid traveler, and always on the hunt for magic and mischief. The Marvellerverse series is her middle-grade fantasy debut.
About the Book
Eleven-year-old Ella Durand is the first Conjuror to attend the Arcanum Training Institute, a magic school in the clouds where Marvellers from around the world practice their cultural arts, like brewing Indian spice elixirs and bartering with pesky Irish pixies.
Despite her excitement, Ella discovers that being the first isn’t easy—some Marvellers mistrust her magic, which they deem “bad and unnatural.” But eventually, she finds friends in elixirs teacher, Masterji Thakur, and fellow misfits Brigit, a girl who hates magic, and Jason, a boy with a fondness for magical creatures.
When a dangerous criminal known as the Ace of Anarchy escapes prison, supposedly with a Conjuror’s aid, tensions grow in the Marvellian world and Ella becomes the target of suspicion. Worse, Masterji Thakur mysteriously disappears while away on a research trip. With the help of her friends and her own growing powers, Ella must find a way to clear her family’s name and track down her mentor before it’s too late.
Praise for The Marvellers:
A New York Times Bestseller
A Kirkus Best Book of the Year
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
A Texas Bluebonnet Award Winner
A Charlotte Huck Honor Book
An Indiana Young Hoosier Award Nominee
An Amazon Best Book of the Year
An Evanston Public Library's Great Book for Kids
A Project LIT Community Book Club Pick
"A marvelous gift of a novel! With fantastical twists at every turn, Clayton has created a world that readers won't want to leave. The Marvellers is magical!” —Angie Thomas, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Hate U Give and Concrete Rose
"The Marvellers deserves the highest compliment I can give a book: I want to live in this world. You can stop looking at admissions brochures for all those other schools of magic. The Arcanum Training Institute for Marvelous and Uncanny Endeavors is definitely where you want to apply." —#1 New York Times bestselling–author Rick Riordan
"An exemplary example of diversity with a Black girl protagonist, and characters representing a variety of cultures, skin tones, gender identities, sexual orientations, and religious affiliations. This fun, immersive tale is a must-purchase." —School Library Journal, starred review
“A gorgeous world filled with enchanting characters, The Marvellers will dazzle readers from beginning to end!” —Kwame Mbalia, New York Times-bestselling author of Tristan Strong series
“The Marvellers is a rich, enchanted melting pot of magic, thrills, and color . . . filled with heart, wit, and humor. Reinventing the magic school trope is a tall order, but author Dhonielle Clayton is well up to the task . . . A tantalizing introduction to an exhilarating fantasy universe.” —Soman Chainani, New York Times-bestselling author of The School for Good and Evil series
"Never in all my years of reading have I encountered a book that so seamlessly weaves together mind-bending marvels, cultural relevance and powerful historical themes . . . all in richly imagined world I would give anything to live in. The Marvellers fully reignited my belief in magic." —Nic Stone, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Dear Martin
"This is the fantasy adventure the world needs. The Marvellers is a cultural reset, the kind of thorny, exciting, and magical story that I’ve needed my whole life. Clayton’s detailed and heartfelt world—all seen through the eyes of the brilliant Ella Durand—is going to capture the imagination of readers in an instant. Where’s book two? I already need it!" —Mark Oshiro, author of The Insiders
Resources/Teaching Ideas
Author Interview with CBS Mornings
5 min video with Dhionelle Clayton
Explains how she draws parallels between fantasy and real-world issues
Author Interview with We Need Diverse Books
Educators Guide:
Essential questions, themes, Common Core standards, discussion questions, writing journal prompts, and activities
Websites to explore:
Compare / contrast Ella's experience with other groundbreakers:
Discussion Questions:
What’s a griot? What’s the difference between conjuring and marveling?
What are the marks conjuring leaves on the body?
How is Ella different from those around her?
What kind of pets do you have? How are they similar to or different from the Conjurer’s companions?
What does Ella want more than anything? Why?
What are the Paragons? What do they control?
Who were the founders of the Arcanum Training Institute and what do their names tell you about what they believe in?
What do you notice about Ella’s schedule? How is it similar to or different from yours? Which class do you think you’d like to take the most?
Why is Ella so resistant to Jason’s offers for help? What can you infer about her character by the fact she doesn’t like to accept help so easily?
Who are the Aces and what is their place in the Marvellian community?
Why do you suppose Conjurers are seen as “less than” in Marvellian society?
Have you ever been accused of something you didn’t do? What did you do in response to the accusation? What did it feel like to be wrongfully accused?
Why do you think Ella and Conjurers are blamed for everything? Who are some groups that have been scapegoated or targeted in our world? Why do you think this happens?
Which world appeals more to you, the Conjure world, or the Marvellian one? Why do you suppose they are so often put at odds with each other?
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