Accidental Demons

This book is nominated for a 2024 Cybils Book Award in Elementary/Middle-Grade Speculative Fiction.
What worked:
The book’s title is a nice hook as readers will wonder how there can be accidental demons. The story is told through the eyes of Bertie, or Ber, and her diabetes is a major part of the story. As a diabetic, she must check her blood sugar levels throughout the day to make sure they’re not too high and not too low. Diabetes is a common disease but it doesn’t usually play a prominent role in stories. Many readers will relate to Ber as she tracks the carbohydrates she eats and is embarrassed when injecting insulin in front of classmates. A teacher even brings up how menstruation can throw Ber’s blood sugar out of whack. She already has the most powerful blood-magic since the great-great-grandmother she’s named after and her energy complicates the rash of accidental demons.
The most innovative aspect of this story is the Crowley family’s blood magic. Their spells summon demons to perform tasks ordered by the witches and it’s the witches’ intentions must be clear. Ber’s conjuring spells summon demons to do simple things like carry messages, tidy rooms, and detangle her sister Maeve’s hair. She’s still at the basic level of magic but thinks she’s ready for intermediate magic like her sister. Maeve gets an idea to use magic to help monitor Ber’s diabetes and they ask their parents and grandmother for advice. Readers will probably predict that her sister’s helpful idea won’t go as planned.
A subplot develops regarding members of the magic community. Ber’s parents and grandmother are concerned about another coven of blood witches that’s now led by a young witch named Lindley. Lindley left her coven for a time but later returned to surprisingly take over as leader. Ber’s parents and grandmother wonder if she’s practicing dark magic. The blood witches also have a feud with weather witches and they don’t get along with mages either. Ber learns there’s a mind mage at her school and she’s shocked when she learns the identity. Ber eventually leads an unlikely team of characters to save her family and end a disturbing kind of magic. Her team includes a Mystery demon whose motivations and abilities are unknown so readers will anticipate the moment when these uncertainties are revealed.
What didn’t work as well:
Readers may have mixed thoughts about the prominence of diabetes in the plot. It’s definitely interesting to see how the author includes it and many readers or family members are dealing with the disease. However, there are scenes in the book where Ber unexpectedly deals with her diabetes and it stands out more than it needs to. It affects the flow of the story but readers must remember the inclusion of diabetes is a key element of the plot.
The final verdict:
Readers dealing with diabetes will have a close connection to the story. The author offers a different take on magical characters and the Mystery demon provides uncertainty. It’s an outstanding book and I recommend you give it a shot.