The Incorruptibles

Gr 5 Up–A magic school fantasy with strong themes of belonging and found family. Thirteen-year-old Fiora hates any bully, and the sorcerers who rule Barrowburgh are the biggest bullies of them all. Fiora confronts two of the Radiance, the most powerful sorcerers in the realm, and has to be rescued by Incorruptibles, the rebel fighters resisting sorcerer rule. Fiora convinces them to take her to Inc Academy, the Incorruptibles’ training school, is put on the Thistle squad on a trial basis, and spends her trial period trying to prove she belongs at the school. While she is attending, missions are constantly sabotaged, and Fiora figures she can land a permanent spot on the squad if she can find the infiltrator. Fiora becomes a Thistle through sheer grit, and readers will need the same grit to get through the book. The Incorruptibles are always one step behind the sorcerers and Fiora’s higgledy-piggledy attempts at uncovering the spy are ineffective with such a large cast of characters. Fiora’s desire to belong to a found family is relatable, but her relationships progress in fits and starts, and the plot feels more impulsive than deliberate. Queer representation is prominent in this book. Fiora is attracted to girls, Captain June and squadmate Leo are trans, and Ringer, one of the Radiance sorcerers, is gender fluid.