LoveReading4Kids Says
LoveReading4Kids Says
Angie Thomas’ Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Book of Anansi sees Remarkable girl Nic issued with an excruciating ultimatum. Filled with witty one-liners, fast-paced action and dazzlingly-conjured characters (not least Nic’s president Grandma and flock of flower- festooned aunties), it’s also powerfully propelled by African American history, folklore and lived experience. All of which amounts to an absolute slam dunk of a book.
While preparing for the all-important exam that will see her start being schooled in using her Gift, Nic is haunted by dreams of being hunted down by her former favourite author and godfather, Tyran, who wants to kill her as a result of a prophecy that has Nic marked as the Manifestor who will “destroy the Remarkable World”, something she strives to keep secret. As a result, when three fearsome Manifestors threaten to expose her unless she finds The Book of Anansi, a collection of folktales written by the trickster shapeshifting spider, Nic has little choice but to do exactly that — however impossible, and perilous, the undertaking might seem.
Rich in magic-world conditions that resonate with the real world, such as Nic marvelling at how “wild” it was that her ancestors built “an entire world where all Remarkables could be free” after being “stolen from their homeland, cursed to forget who they were, and forced into slavery”, and when someone implies that the Giants who play in the Remarkable Basketball Association (RBA) are “thick-headed” and only in the RBA because of their size, The Book of Anansi takes fantasy fiction to fresh, thought-provoking heights. Bring on book three!
Reviewed by Joanne OwenJoanne Owen is a writer, reviewer and workshop presenter whose lifelong love of books began when she was growing up in Pembrokeshire, Wales.
More reviews by Joanne Owen About Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Book of Anansi
An inventive and suspenseful fantasy by superstar author Angie Thomas, and the highly anticipated sequel to the instant #1 New York Times bestseller.
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About
Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Book of Anansi Synopsis
An inventive and suspenseful fantasy by superstar author Angie Thomas, and the highly anticipated sequel to the instant #1 New York Times bestseller.
All of Nic's dreams have come true at last. After years of living in hiding as a Remarkable in an Unremarkable world, she has a big family, a forever home, and a chance to learn the Gift at Manifestor school. But then she's given a deadly ultimatum: find the Book of Anansi or put her family's life in peril. Not only does no one know where the book is - they don't even believe it exists.
Nic must team up again with her twin brother, Alex, and her best friend J.P. to complete this impossible mission - or risk losing it all.
Inspired by African American history and folklore, Angie Thomas has penned this adventure for her younger self – the voracious reader who loved fantastical tales but never saw her life or culture reflected on the page.
“I hope you leave Nic Blake’s world wanting to make ours resemble it a bit more. And just like Nic, you realize that you already have the magic you need to do it.” - Angie Thomas
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781529506556 |
| Publication date: |
25th September 2025 |
| Author: |
Angie Thomas |
| Publisher: |
Walker Books Ltd an imprint of Walker Books |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
444 pages |
| Series: |
Nic Blake and the Remarkables |
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Press Reviews
Angie Thomas Press Reviews
Praise for Nic Blake and the Remarkables series:
'Nothing Short of a triumph' - Rick Riordan
'Pacy, imaginative and layered with Black history, ideal for fans of Amari and the Night Brothers.' - Imogen Russell Williams, Guardian
'Populated with ghosts, vampires and wand-wavers with a strong resemblance to the gun lobby, this accessible fantasy gives familiar elements a new context and is written with heart.' - Nicolette Jones, Sunday Times, Children’s Book of the Week
'An engaging, intelligent fantasy that weaves Black American history with a hugely exciting story.' - One to Watch, The Bookseller
'This is a bold novel, with the promise of two more to come which has lots to enjoy. The use of African American folklore yields some strong characters. There’s some crackling dialogue and a lot of humour.' - Books for Keeps
Praise for Angie Thomas:
'The phrase “voice of a generation” is surely one of the most overused in popular culture. Angie Thomas, however, is one of the rare authors for whom it rings true.' - The I
'No one else writes like Angie' - The Guardian
'Utterly compelling' - Sunday Times
'Pure magic' - The Observer
Author
About Angie Thomas
Angie Thomas was born and raised in a tough neighbourhood in Jackson, Mississippi where gunshots were a frequent refrain. The library became her sanctuary; a place where she could escape into fantastical, magical worlds.
“I still remember the first time I travelled to Narnia, the first time I met Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who, and Mrs Which; the first time I rode a broom with the boy with the lightning scar.”
Yet these magical worlds never included girls who looked like her; or reflected her culture. It led her to believe that books weren’t for kids like her. She knew then that she didn’t want any other child to feel that way. She pursued a writing career and was the first Black teenager to graduate from her creative writing course at Belhaven University. Struggling to secure an agent with her work-in-progress, Angie turned her pen to YA and contemporary stories inspired by true events.
Her debut novel The Hate U Give was published to critical and commercial acclaim around the globe – it launched straight to No.1 on the New York Times bestseller list and has remained on the list since the book’s publication in 2017. In the UK, it was an Amazon No.1 bestseller, and was awarded the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, British Book Awards’ Children’s Book of the Year and the Amnesty CILIP Honour for the Carnegie Medal. An award-winning film adaptation was released in 2018, starring Amandla Stenberg. Her second novel On The Come Up was inspired by her time as a teen rapper, and is also a New York Times bestseller and film, released in 2022 and available to stream on Paramount+.
Angie founded A Tough ACT Productions to bring Black Girl Magic and Black Boy Joy to screens and was a producer on both The Hate U Give and On The Come Up adaptations. She is also the author of Concrete Rose (2021), a prequel to The Hate U Give, and Blackout (2021), co-authored with Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon.
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