Crooks and Straights by Masha du Toit is a young adult novel centered around a teenaged girl.

Gia always knew there was magic, but she had no idea how entrenched in the magical world she really was. In South Africa, there are two types of people: crooks (magicals) and straights (non-magicals). Gia is a Straight, and she always thought the rest of her family was, too. But with the Purist movement taking over in government, someone she cares about catches the wrong sort of attention, and Gia makes a daring deal to save the ones she loves.

Crooks and Straights thrilled me by introducing me to new kinds of magical creatures I had never heard of before. I was fascinated by the world du Toit created, with its intermix of contemporary South Africa and magical mythologies. I recommend it for readers who like to explore cultures and magic through books.

About The Reviewer:

Samantha Bryant is a middle school Spanish teacher by day and a mom and novelist by night. That makes her a superhero all the time. Her debut novel, Going Through the Change: A Menopausal Superhero Novel is now for sale by Curiosity Quills.

Learn more about Samantha and her work at http://samanthadunawaybryant.blogspot.com/