Roar of the Lambs

Gr 9 Up–Sixteen-year-old Winnie, a gifted psychic who lies because it’s good for business, almost digs her own grave when she becomes involved with a vision she has of her newest client, Apollo. After seeing a crime being committed at the house where her father died, Winnie heads to her old family home. There, she finds a mysterious box that reveals a new vision of death—this time, her own. Enlisting Apollo’s help, Winnie and Apollo try everything possible to alter their future by keeping the cursed box away from Apollo’s cousin, Cyrus, so that they can destroy it. While there is plenty of action, Winnie and Apollo’s developing relationship is the true heart of the story. Winnie isn’t afraid of nonbinary Apollo, unlike everyone else who knows their history, and Apollo respects Winnie’s visions, unlike her mother and brother. The box itself, ominous and ever-present, becomes a character in its own right. While Brown’s narration is generally strong, it can be hard to understand the box’s words due to the distortion added to the dialogue. Winnie is Black, Apollo is biracial Black and white, and Cyrus is white.