Charlie Wilde isn't happy about leaving Chicago for Arizona. Additionally, her formerly stay-at-home dad takes a teaching job, and her ER-doctor mom is working more than ever. Charlie's feelings of frustration and loneliness are only amplified when she discovers a strange bracelet that lends her animal-like abilities. The powers are exciting en they help Charlie on the soccer field t overwhelming, too. New friends Maria and Mac are a help (well, Mac is a reluctant help) as Charlie further tests her powers. But the bracelet is more dangerous than any of the sixth-graders anticipated, and the girls must face intimidating foes to save the kidnapped Mac. Though Mac is rescued, Charlie's dad is also snatched neat sequel setup. A number of characters end up with superpower bracelets before the end; readers will hope that Maria and Mac (both people of color) will get to star in their own books. Blending action, fantasy, and sci-fi with tween angst, this is poised to be a hit with the legions of fans of the Unwanteds series. Dorman's final illustrations not seen.

After moving across the country for her parents' jobs, Charlie Wilde discovers a bracelet. Once it's on her wrist, she starts to notice odd things about herself, like elephant strength and cheetah speed. With help from open-minded Maria and tech whiz Mac, Charlie begins exploring her abilities. Filled with humor and science, this new series should appeal to Animorphs fans.

In this trilogy opener, 13-year-old Charlotte -Charlie- Wilde-s life turns upside down when her mother takes a job in Navarro Junction, Ariz. As the new girl at school, Charlie faces many of the typical difficulties of starting fresh-finding friends, fitting in, and making the soccer team. Things begin to look up for Charlie when she discovers a bracelet that gives her superhuman abilities. McMann (the Unwanteds series) believably channels the voice of a confused middle school girl who wavers between being cocky with her newfound powers and self-conscious (because who isn-t at 13?). With the help of some new friends-comic-book-obsessed Maria and -tech genius- Mac-Charlie tests what the bracelet can do. However, the children don-t realize that the bracelet was stolen and that the man it belongs to is determined to reclaim it. Filled with action, adventure, and a good dollop of wish fulfillment, McMann-s superhero origin story should capture the imagination of any reader who wonders what it would be like to be more than just an average kid. Ages 8-12. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel & Goderich Literary Management. (Sept.)

Gr 4-6 Charlie Wilde is moving to Arizona, leaving behind her best friend and all that she knows, where her physician mother and biologist father have taken new jobs. When she gets there, she struggles to fit in at her new school. As she searches for her soccer equipment, hoping that a tryout for the school's team will change her outlook on her new situation, Charlie comes across a package containing an odd metal bracelet. She realizes that the bracelet will lend her powers matching those of several animals, making her a sort of chimera. When Dr. Gray, the man behind a sinister group bent on retrieving Charlie's bracelet, discovers its whereabouts, he will stop at nothing to get it back, leaving Charlie and her new friends, Mac and Maria, with far more questions than answers. In this first installment of a new series from the creator of "The Unwanteds," readers will find themselves on a fast-paced adventure with a very likable heroine. VERDICT Fans of Rick Riordan and Brandon Mull will not be disappointed. Wayne R. Cherry Jr., St. Pius X High School, Houston