The Marvellers

The Marvellers (2022) is the first middle grade fantasy novel by author Dhonielle Clayton, who also wrote the New York Times bestselling series The Belles and cowrote the novel Tiny Pretty Things, which was made into a Netflix series. Prior to becoming an author, Clayton worked as a teacher and school librarian. She is currently the COO of We Need Diverse Books, a nonprofit organization committed to advocating for greater diversity and representation of marginalized characters and communities, and wider opportunity and access to authors of color in the American publishing landscape.

When The Marvellers debuted, it quickly became a New York Times bestseller and made several “best books of the year” lists, including Kirkus, School Library Journal, and Amazon. The novel was quickly followed by a sequel in The Conjureverse Series entitled The Memory Thieves (2023). Intended for readers aged nine and above, The Marvellers centers The Challenges of Integration, The Inherent Injustice of Segregation, and the characters’ experiences Navigating Questions of Identity.

This study guide and all its page citations refer to the Henry Holt and Company 2022 Kindle edition of the novel.

Plot Summary

The Marvellers is set in a contemporary setting between the months of September and May, corresponding to a full school term for students at the Arcanum Training Institute.