BILLY BUCKHORN AND THE BOOK OF SPELLS

Enter a world of magic and intrigue where the old ways and new technology intertwine.

Billy Buckhorn, a 16-year-old member of the Cherokee Nation, has been chosen by the Thunders to do great things. After he’s struck by lightning, Billy’s life turns upside down, and an entire world of secrets and gifts opens up to him. He can perceive and converse with Little People, and he sees vivid mental images of people’s past actions as well as future events. The novel skillfully portrays the diversity of Indigenous peoples’ lives: Billy, who is close to his Grandpa Wesley, is deeply embedded in his nation’s traditions, while his superhero-obsessed best friend is an avid reader of comic books. Billy’s father is a professor of Cherokee history and culture, and his mother is a nurse from a highly religious family who converted to Christianity. Billy questions whether he should complete high school—something his father sees as critical—or get his GED diploma and focus on training with a Cherokee medicine person. Robinson (Cherokee and Choctaw) presents situations in such a way that readers can engage critically and make up their own minds. Copious exposition explains the world and the traditions of the Cherokee people (without revealing cultural knowledge that has not already been publicly shared), but this series opener keeps the action moving.

A stellar adventure enriched with Cherokee tales.