Fans of Rick Riordan's Greek mythology inspired stories with modern kids will love this fresh, inclusive title featuring a squad of goddesses whose job it is to inspire humans. Callie Martinez-Silva, a Cuban American girl from Miami, learns she embodies one of the nine muses after she accidentally turns her best friend into a pop star. She is one of four junior, newly awakened muses, who adopt the name Muse Squad when they receive their first assignment: Maya Rivero, one of Callie's classmates who is fated to change the world (and save Florida from floods). The narrative sticks to its theme of love in all forms brilliantly and isn't just set in Miami; Acevedo, a professor at the University of Miami, depicts the Magic City in rich detail, giving it life and context in the story, which is action-packed, as the squad has to protect Maya's destiny from the chaos-loving Sirens, who plan to unleash a curse that will ruin her future. Clever references to the Odyssey and the muses in media round out this fun take on the ones who inspire, rather than just the heroes.

Callie decides whether to accept the role of one of the nine Muses in this duology opener.Weird things start happening to and around Miami sixth grader Calliope Martinez-Silva, but when she crawls under her bed and then finds herself in London, that takes the cake. Callie discovers she's been chosen to fulfill the role of Muse of Epic Poetry. It's Callie's job to inspire people, especially Fated Ones who have the potential to make a great impact on the world. Using the past tense, Callie chronicles her journey navigating her muse powers, getting to know the other new kid muses, protecting a Fated One at her school, and managing big changes with family and friends. The four 11-year-olds who make up the Muse Squad have distinct personalities and hail from around the world; in addition to Cuban American Callie, there's Mela, an Indian girl from New Delhi, Nia, a black girl from Chicago, and Thalia, a white girl from London. Strangely, the adult muses put great responsibility on the Muse Squad, who receive minimal training before being expected to perform difficult tasks. The messages the narrative sends sometimes seem confused, when not downright contradictory. Readers willing to suspend disbelief and overlook these weaknesses will enjoy rooting for Callie and her new friends. Callie describes herself as "chubby," so it's too bad the cover illustration does not reflect a plus-size protagonist.Flawed but fun. (Fantasy. 9-12)