Stacy McAnulty’s latest fantasy adventure is one of those books that is a good recommendation for every reader. Like many of her other novels, Forever Twelve is a fast-paced and easy read. New and established Stacy McAnulty fans will soon find out why this is one of the best new books of October in this fun series starter.

Over-achiever Ivy has big plans, starting with attending boarding school at West Archer Academy to get started on achieving her dream of being a Supreme Court Justice. When her new roommate Abigail insists that Ivy looks just like her long-lost friend, Grace, Ivy finds herself drawn into figuring out who Grace might be—and in the process, she learns shocking information about Abigail and some of her other classmates.

Told from multiple perspectives, the twists and turns keep coming as Ivy learns more about Abigail and the mysterious Evers and how she is connected to Grace and to the group. With its fun twist on the magical boarding school setting popular with many readers and a cliffhanger ending, readers will anxiously awaiting the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC to read and review.

Ivy wants to get through middle school and high school as quickly as possible, to stay on track to become a supreme court justice like her idol, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She applies and is accepted to West Archer, a boarding school that will allow her to graduate at an accelerated rate. Ivy is greeted enthusiastically by Abigail (who becomes her roommate), because Abigail sees an uncanny resemblance in Ivy to her old friend Grace. Abigail is an Ever -- she never ages, heals quickly from all injuries, doesn't need food, barely sleeps. There are several Evers at West Archer. Abigail is convinced that Ivy must have a connection to Grace (who disappeared in 1944) and together they set out to uncover the mystery. This is a great twist on a magical boarding school story (the school is not magic)! Warning, it does end on a cliff hanger, so you are going to want to have the next book ready.
Recommended for grades 4 & up.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Another enjoyable book by Stacy McAnulty. Once you understood that there were a group of kids who never aged, a lot of the story immediately came together, but it was still interesting to see how it would all resolve.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of Forever Twelve by Stacy McAnulty.

Ivy has goals. Big ones. Ronan has no goals except to get by with doing the least amount possible. The two of them end up at the elite West Archer Academy and their lives change forever. When Ivy is mistaken for someone else, and Ronan is horrified to realize he does carry mother's psychic gene, they are introduced to another group of kids whose backgrounds are mysterious.

Excellent first book in a new series! I think this is going to be one in which McAnulty is not gong to be able to write fast enough for those of us waiting for what's next. Just the right amount of "magic," mixed with relatable characters and space to wonder "what if" make this a great addition to upper and middle grade library collections.

A very fascinating book! However, I could see all the plot twists coming miles away, and some of the references felt kind of dated (like Subway Surfers and Fruit Ninja), even though the book came out and was set this year. But it was fun overall, and I would enjoy reading the sequel!

(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)

This is an entertaining foray into adventure and fantasy for Stacy McAnulty. Kids will be intrigued and drawn into the story.

I loved, loved, loved this new middle grade fantasy story from Stacy Mcanulty. Like her other books, she creates a world of characters that are so real, complex, and compelling. There are some heavy themes (at risk of spoiling but want to disclaim there’s talk of death and cancer), but there’s so much character growth, kindness, and page-turning plot twists that I couldn’t help but read this in one sitting. I can’t wait to hear what kid readers think.

Forever Twelve by Stacy McAnulty was such an entertaining read! I loved the boarding school setting and getting to know the Evers. I enjoyed all of the characters, and I was intrigued and wondering what was going to happen next the entire time. Ivy and Ronan were my favorite characters. I read the whole book in one day and I'm so excited for book two! Thank you to Random House Children's and NetGalley for an e-arc of the book in exchange for an honest review.

What worked:
The narrative is told from multiple points of view, mostly focusing on Ivy and Ronan. These two students have vastly different motivations for attending West Archer Academy and it’s helpful to know what they’re thinking. Ivy has her life goals planned out as she’ll eventually become Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. She doesn’t want friends and other distractions to derail her plans. Ronan has never been a dedicated student but he wants to attend the boarding school where no one knows his mother is a psychic. The third point of view is from Abigail who is one of the Evers. She introduces the conflict that becomes the focus in the second half of the book. Abigail’s best friend disappeared decades ago and it seems Ivy bears a striking resemblance to her. There are a few other chapters with flashbacks to inform readers of events from decades or centuries ago.
The author slowly develops the topic of eternal life to help Ivy and readers accept the idea. There are mentions of character experiences that couldn’t have happened until Abigail reveals the truth to an unbelieving Ivy. Being immune to aging, diseases, and most injuries creates discussion about the topic of living forever. It may seem like an ideal concept for mortals but the Evers share a different viewpoint. They’ve experienced the downside of living eternally among humans who must die and a couple of the characters express some regret for their situations. This difficult mixture of feelings provides readers with food for thought about the possibility of living forever.
The character relationships add intrigue to the plot. The author mentions Abigail’s younger brother James but he’s absent for most of the plot. The two of them had a disagreement in the past but readers are left to wonder about the source of the problem. Abigail is also Ivy’s roommate and she enlists Ivy’s help in finding out what happened to her best friend Grace. Este is the “oldest” Ever and she displays great animosity toward Ivy. Ivy has no idea where the anger comes from but she avoids being near Este whenever she can. Ronan becomes closer to Ivy but he’s unaware of the Evers and the issues they’re dealing with. His importance in the plot is minimal until Ivy discovers a secret he’s hiding and asks him for help.
What didn’t work as well:
Readers will connect with Ivy’s character but the rest of them aren’t developed as much. Ronan is absent from most of the scenes involving the Evers and Abigail is mostly focused on finding Grace. Little is known about the other Evers until some secrets are shared toward the end of the book.
The final verdict:
Ivy’s challenging relationship with the Evers carries the story and readers will appreciate the difficulties that arise. The book addresses common thoughts about eternal life and may inspire readers to consider them too. Overall, this book is enjoyable and thought-provoking and I recommend you give it a shot.

I will read anything Stacy McAnulty writes - every picture book and middle grade book she's written has been so enjoyable, and this story was no exception! Filled with imagination, mystery, magic, and adventure, this book was a great read all the way through. The mysterious boarding school trope mixed in with immortality and detective work worked so well through this book.

While this book is a fun read, it also deals with some heavy issues like grief and navigating relationships during those difficult tween years - especially when you feel so much older and wise than you look. I also appreciated the different POVs in each chapter. Allowing the reader to see through the eyes of different characters really helped with overall understanding and character development.

I'm really excited that this book is the beginning of a series! I'm looking forward to sharing it with my students and adding the upcoming books to our library!

Okay, I admit that it might sound like someone took the situation of the vampires in the Twilight saga and mixed it with Peter Pan and the Lost Boys. What would you do if you looked twelve years old forever? How would you hide it from the world? Answer: move a lot and try to find safe havens that you can return to over time. But in the increasingly digital world of security cameras, facial recognition software, and folks from Child Protective Services on the lookout for unaccompanied minors - it gets harder every year to find such a place. A boarding school makes sense because you can live there, get your meals there, and have a peer group to blend into as camouflage. If you can finesse your way through not having any parents around on move-in day and set up some fake accounts for the school to contact your guardians long distance, you just might succeed.

Unfortunately for this group, a new student at their chosen home of West Archer Academy looks remarkably like a missing member of their family. She isn't the same person. She can't be a descendant because they don't age. So how is she such a match? Intrigue swirls as the group tries to find a connection or at least a reason for the resemblance, while the object of their interest is just trying to keep her head down and follow her planned path to reaching a Supreme Court appointment as quickly as possible. It doesn't help that another classmate from her former school seems to be developing odd powers and is determined to mix himself up in the situation.

I met author Stacy McAnulty at the Children's Festival of Reading in Knoxville, Tennessee this summer. She was delightful to talk to and her session on middle grade fiction was very enlightening, but she was careful not to let any spoilers slip. I couldn't wait to get a copy of the book and find out the answers for myself. Your middle grade readers who enjoy stories based in a school setting and those that involve mysteries or mysterious powers should have a wonderful time with this book.

At first blush, this book brings Tuck Everlasting to mind; however, the author takes it in a slightly different direction. In each chapter, the character point of view alternates mainly between two characters: Ivy and Ronan. These two do not seem to have much in common and become unlikely friends as they attend a competitive and exclusive prep school. Their worlds only intersect sporadically throughout the book as they each deal with their own issues. One is dragged into a mystery and the other is trying to cope on their own with a huge life change. It is sweet to see them interact and gradually become friends, even if it is only occasionally.

This book has a good mix of supernatural, mystery, and that time-treasured setting–the boarding school. There are some skillful surprises woven in at the end and for readers that hate cliff-hangers, sorry, but get used to disappointment because this novel definitely has one.

Stacy McAnulty is an impressive author in that her books are so stylistically different from each other in format, style, and genre. See our reviews for Millionaires for the Month and The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl, which are both fabulous reads. Forever Twelve is an extremely satisfying read and an excellent addition to Ms. McAnulty’s growing literary list.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Children's Books, and Stacy McAnulty for the opportunity to read this e-ARC!

I knew I had to read this book when I saw it was by the same author as The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl. I was certainly not disappointed. It was a magical book that included the perspectives of multiple characters.

Ivy has big, big goals and she sets her mind to get into West Archer Academy, a prestigious boarding school, to help her accomplish those goals. One of her first encounters on campus is with Abigail, who mistakes Ivy for another girl named Grace. Ivy finds out that Grace mysteriously disappeared and apparently they look EXACTLY alike.

And then Ivy meets the Evers, who are a group of twelve year olds who've been twelve for a very long time. Ivy wants to continue to work toward her academic goals, but she gets drawn into the mystery of the missing girl named Grace and the captivating world of the Evers.

After acing their entrance exams, Ivy and Ronan get accepted to West Archer Academy, an elite boarding school for the gifted. Shortly after starting at the school, the two get two bombshells dropped on them. When Ronan turns 13, he inherits the family curse/gift of being psychic. Ivy learns that her roommate is a 217-year-old named Abigail. An ever transformed by Este, another ever at the school, Abigail never ages past the age of 12. Every 10 years to the school, Abigail returns to the school, hoping to solve the mystery of her friend, Grace’s disappearance in 1944. With Ivy’s eerie resemblance to Grace, Abigail is convinced that Ivy must be a descendant of her friend. As Ivy and Ronan’s experiences converge, Ivy tries to figure out what happened to Grace. What happened to Grace in 1944?

The plot is well-written, intriguing, and engaging. The characters are likable, well-developed, and draw the reader into the story. The world building is detailed and believable. With twists and turns throughout the book and a cliffhanger of an ending, readers will be eager to read the sequel when it comes out. Recommended for most library collections.

With a compelling premise and appealing boarding-school setting, this series opener is sure to be a crowd pleaser. It starts a little slow as it sets up the larger world, but the alternating POVs keep the interest high. The cliffhanger at the end should bring readers back for book 2!

Well written with multiple points of view and timelines. It's an engaging, very character-driven story and I can see middler graders enjoying the ride.

McAnulty has written another engaging book with an intriguing plot. What would you do if you were always 12 and never older? This new series introduces several sympathetic characters - Abigail, an Ever who has lost her best friend, Grace; Ivy, a mortal who is very academically driven, and who happens to look as lot like Grace; and Ronan, a mortal who is trying to escape his mother’s psychic legacy. The book ends on a cliff hanger, so out so be exciting to see where the plot goes.