Just finished another fantastic book by one of my fellow 2018 debut authors, Daniel Wheatley! The Zanna Function (JollyFish Press) offers a unique, STEM-infused take on a Harry Potter-type magical school adventure.

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There’s so much to love about The Zanna Function. Mystery, brainteasers, diverse characters, a fascinating world that’s part of the regular everyday world, but still completely new and different — but what I especially loved about Zanna is that it avoids the “Chosen One” trope. Zanna is a gifted, interesting, resourceful protagonist, but she isn’t Harry Potter.

Yes, she’s just discovering her place in this strange new world that most people don’t even know exists, but no prophecies say she’s headed for a special destiny. She isn’t any more gifted than the other kids at her school. She’s no more and no less than a smart kid going to a school for smart kids.

I think this makes for a more relatable character, and a better message, for middle grade readers than the usual Chosen One thing. Most of us know pretty early on that we’re not the one that was foretold, the last hope, the Boy Who Lived, swamped with an unheard-of midichlorian count, etc. etc…so doesn’t that make all those Chosen One narratives a little…well…depressing? The Chosen One trope means that most of us in the audience know we’re never going to be the hero. We might get to be the sidekick, at best. So it’s nice to read about a hero who’s just plain good at using her head, and that’s what gets her through this fantastic adventure. We can all strive to be that character.

Zanna also offers a fun take on STEM topics, as Zanna and her friends learn to manipulate the world around them through mathematical functions. It would be a great classroom read and Common Core curriculum tie-in, giving kids a new way to think about the math, chemistry, and physics at work all around them, all the time. Highly recommended for fans of sci-fi and magical school stories.

Find The Zanna Function on Goodreads here.