The Luminaries

Gr 8 Up–Winnie and her family belong to a secret order that fights monsters. Well, they used to belong. They were kicked out when it was discovered that her dad turned out to be one of their enemies. With Winnie’s 16th birthday coming up, she might miss her only chance to enter the Luminary trials to become a monster hunter. Her and her family’s futures are at stake. It will take the help of current hottie Jay Friday, who is also her ex–best friend, to get her through more than just the monster trials. With this novel, Dennard has woven a paranormal tale that monster hunters everywhere will enjoy. While there are some romantic feelings discussed, this is a mostly romance-free fantasy, which might be of interest to a lot of readers. The main characters are cis-het and white with some BIPOC side characters. The whole atmosphere of the novel feels like an episode of a 1990s Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode.