Forever Twelve (The Evers, Book 1) by Stacy McAnulty. Random House, 2023. 9780593429624
Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4
Format : Hardcover
Genre: Fantasy
What did you like about the book? Ivy is a straight A student with serious goals; she wants to graduate early and fulfill a promise she made to her dying mother to become a lawyer, a judge, and ultimately a Supreme Court Justice. Ivy is excited at the prospect of attending West Archer Academy, a prestigious boarding school that seems like a perfect fit. She is a little surprised when her classmate Ronan also shows interest in West Archer. Ronan is a gifted boy, but definitely lacks Ivy’s work ethic and focus. Ronan’s reasons for going to the school have more to do with trying to escape his family’s legacy – his mom is a renowned psychic in their hometown, and his older brother acquired the gift on his twelfth birthday. Ronan is hoping to pass that milestone without similar results, and figures being away from home might help. At a spring open house, Ivy meets Abigail, who is convinced that Ivy looks exactly like an old friend of hers named Grace.
In the fall, Ivy is assigned Abigail as a roommate and soon learns the strange truth about her and her friends – they are the Evers, a small group of immortal tweens. Abigail is actually 217 years old, and nearly died at the age of 12 but was resuscitated by Este, the leader of the Evers. Over the years they were joined by Grace, Tim and, most recently, Dom. Grace left the group under mysterious circumstances decades prior, and Ivy’s uncanny resemblance to her leads Abigail to believe that Ivy is the key to finding out how she left and why. Este is resentful of Abigail’s relationship with Ivy, and seems to be trying to keep Ivy away from the Evers. Meanwhile, Ronan is chagrined, but not surprised, to find his psychic abilities awakened: he can see people’s futures through casual physical contact. He tries avoiding social contact, but he also wants to help Ivy navigate her relationships with Abigail and Este, and his attempts lead to a dramatic and surprising ending that will leave readers clamoring for another book.
The narration alternates between the 3rd person perspectives of Ivy, Abigail, and Ronan in short but action-packed chapters, occasionally interspersed with historical accounts of Abigail’s past. These varying voices serve to provide background information for the main characters and enable readers to find empathy for all of them (even the prickly Este). The kids all experience typical middle school drama while also contending with the anxiety and struggles that result from being immortal, or psychic, or an overachiever. The mystery of Grace’s whereabouts is ultimately solved, but this opens the door to many more unanswered questions to be addressed. The premise of the book is really intriguing, with lots of plot possibilities for future installments, as each of the Evers comes from a different time period, and readers are given very brief glimpses of their backstories and of their existence as a group prior to the present day.
Anything you did not like about the book? No
To whom would you recommend this book? Upper elementary or middle school readers who have enjoyed other novels by the author will really appreciate this one, especially as it is the start of a new series. Fans of authors like Stuart Gibbs or Gordon Korman will also enjoy it.
Who should buy this book? Public, elementary and middle school libraries
Where would you shelve it? Fiction
Should we (librarians) put this on the top of our “to read” piles? No
Reviewer’s Name, Library (or school), City: Leigh Russell King, Lincoln Street School, Northborough, Massachusetts.
Date of review: December 13, 2023
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