A boy discovers magic -- along with a hidden darkness -- in his town in this propulsive and heartfelt middle grade novel by Craig Kofi Farmer, author of Kwame Crashes the Underworld.12-year-old Marcus Pennrider feels far from magical. He's trying his best to balance school, a part-time job, and familial responsibilities that include looking after his little sister. On top of that, he’s settling into living with his aunt in the vibrant city of Grand Park, after healing from his experience with his abusive father.When Marcus discovers a secret magic flows through the streets of Grand Park, everything seems to start changing for the better. Even Mr. O, the local corner shop owner and beloved leader in the community, takes Marcus under his wing to teach him how to use magic. Maybe if Marcus becomes a Divinator, he can prove to the world that he's not just a burden -- that he's nothing like his father.But as Marcus strays farther from his family and into the strange world of Divination magic, he becomes entrenched in a rigorous magical training program and increasingly dangerous relationship with Mr. O. It'll be up to Marcus to discover who his true family is, and that perhaps the real magic of Grand Park might lie in something much closer to home.

After two three-year-old girls were raped and murdered in rural Mississippi, law enforcement pursued and convicted two innocent men: Kennedy Brewer and Levon Brooks. Together they spent a combined thirty years in prison before finally being exonerated in 2008. Meanwhile, the real killer remained free.The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist chronicles how the courts and Mississippi's death investigation system--a relic of the Jim Crow era--failed to deliver justice for its citizens and recounts the horrifying story of the two men who built successful careers on the back of this system. For nearly two decades, medical examiner Dr. Steven Hayne performed the vast majority of Mississippi's autopsies, while his friend Dr. Michael West, a local dentist, pitched himself as a forensic jack-of-all-trades. Together they became the go-to experts for prosecutors and helped put countless Mississippians in prison. But then some of those convictions began to fall apart. Radley Balko and Tucker Carrington argue that bad forensics, structural racism, and institutional failures are at fault, and raise sobering questions about our criminal justice system's ability to address them.

Maple and her sister Eva have had enough heartache to last a lifetime. But when a kid at school bullies Eva, she takes drastic measures and signs a magical contract with a powerful witch who promises her a lifetime of freedom from pain. Little does she know, she will be giving up everything she loves. Her friends. Her family. Even her memories. Horrified by the witch's duplicity, Maple sets out on a mission to free her sister. Aided by a shape shifting dog named Oakley, Maple's journey brings her into contact with Tricksters, Wizards, Stone Giants and Whirlwinds. But with every step she takes—time is running out. Can Maple save her sister before it's too late? Or will Eva be lost forever?

secondhand copy with some wear, some underlining to text.