Today’s post comes to you from Kim Tyo-Dickerson
Alkrem: Magic wasn’t just his birthright, it was his destiny.
Theo, the adopted son of the powerful Archemist Brennock Chimius, is turning thirteen. In his Parisian world, this birthday is a sacred rite of passage, the moment an Archemist finally receives their Apto, an animal advisor and lifelong companion. Brennock’s own Apto, a loyal, wise, and somewhat sarcastic, talking ginger cat named Fuse, has helped raise Theo. Since the Chimius family is known for feline Aptos, Theo is expecting to go with his father and Fuse to the Aptarium and find his own kitten. But even Fuse would have to agree that a kitten, no matter how annoying, would have been preferable to the alternative. At the stroke of midnight on Theo’s birthday, an unexpected low growl vibrates through the open front door. Demanding entry is Theo’s true companion, a powerful Mutolo Fire Fox, the largest animal any of them has ever seen.
“Its fur was black, with a long scarlet flame that ran from the middle of its head to the tip of its thick tail. Its long, tapering muzzle was dark and trembling. And when it turned to look at them, its orange eyes glowed like burning embers. The Mutolo had arrived.”
The Fire Fox, the fiercest and most loyal of all Alkrem Mutolo companions, demands to see Theo and in an instant, Theo’s future is shattered. The mystery of his birth, found as a baby under a rare, magical tree in Brennock’s garden, is suddenly solved in the most devastating way possible. Now branded a traitor, Theo is forced to flee the only home he has ever known. To make the ruin of his birthday complete, he watches helplessly as Brennock, who stands by Theo to the very end, is mortally injured by an assassin called The Shadow and captured by the Archemists’ Dikasterium forces. Brennock is now a traitor and Theo a fugitive.
Driven into hiding with Fuse at his side along with his Mutolo, Nerea, and a band of rebel Alkrems as his only allies, Theo resolves to do whatever it takes to save his father. His desperate thoughts center on the Alkrexa, a weapon of mythic power that has fascinated him since he found a forbidden book of legends hidden on a hallway shelf. Theo knows the Alkrexa is the only thing capable of healing his father’s magic-inflicted wounds, but to claim it, he must master the very magic he was taught to hate. The elixirs and customized weapons of the Alkrem await him. Along the way, as he uncovers the blood-stained history of Archemist Paris and the treacherous streets of the banished Alkrem’s secret city, The Fortress, he realizes his quest is about more than just about survival for himself and his father. The history Theo was forced to memorize in his days as an Archemist is a lie. The victories of the Archemists were actually a massacre of the Alkrem. Now, Theo’s journey is no longer just a rescue mission, it is a fight to reclaim the truth from a regime that tried to bury his heritage in ashes.
The inspiration behind Alkrem
Author Marta Palazzesi’s fascination with the bonds between humans and animal companions has been a hallmark of her fiction. In Alkrem, there are parallels to the animal human bonds in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series, where Daemons represent the souls of their humans.
However, her main message in Alkrem was galvanized by research Palazzesi was doing in 2020 for another novel. As she watched interviews regarding Columbus Day in the United States, she was struck by the jarring disconnect between the celebrations of those Americans who used words like “joy” and “pride” to discuss the national holiday named for Christopher Columbus’ “discovery” of America, and the descendants of Native Americans who described the same date with words like “agony” and “massacre” (Crum, “Author Chat with Marta Palazzesi”).
This duality became the foundation of her world-building in Alkrem. In the book’s alternate, hierarchical Paris, what the ruling Archemists celebrate as “The Liberation” is remembered by the persecuted and disenfranchised Alkrem as “The Extermination.” By drawing on this recurring pattern in human civilization, where one group’s liberator is another’s oppressor, Palazzesi’s story is addressing more than a standard Hero’s Journey fantasy.
At its core, Alkrem is an exploration of individual and collective agency and the pursuit of social justice, challenging middle grade and young teen readers to examine inherited traditions and find the courage to define their own truths. Christopher Turner’s crisp translation adds to the energy of Theo’s constant revelations, dilemmas, and actions.
Highly recommended.
In una Parigi sospesa
tra realtà e fantasia /
In a Paris suspended
between reality and fantasy
…
si combattono
Alkrem e Archemisti
con i loro potenti
animali guida. /
The Alkrem and Archemists
fight each other
with their powerful
spirit animals.
…
Le certezze di Theo
crollano alla scoperta
della sua vera IDENTITÀ, /
Theo’s certainties
crumble when he discovers
his true identity,
…
ora dovrà affrontare
una STORIA e
un DESTINO diversi. /
Now he will have to face
a different HISTORY and
FATE.
…
E adesso
chi sei, Theo? /
And now
who are you, Theo?
…
Da che parte
scegli di stare? /
Which side
do you choose to be on?
Title: Alkrem (2025)
Author: MARTA PALAZZESI is an award-winning author of books for children and young people, translator, and consultant for publishing and film production companies. She is part of the Superheroes Training Center, a nonprofit organization that holds creative writing workshops in middle and high schools. Her last novel, Mist, was hailed by bestselling author Katherine Applegate as a “not-to-be-missed tale of courage and compassion.” Palazzesi’s books reflect her great passion for animals. Alkrem combines this passion with the high drama of a fantasy-adventure. Palazzesi lives with her husband, two children and dogs, Tango and Mambo, in Milan, Italy. Follow her on Instagram at marta_palazzesi.
Translator: CHRISTOPHER TURNER is an Italian to English translator, editor, and professional writer. He has translated many children’s books into English in his 30-year career including the popular Geronimo Stilton books. He lives in Dorking, Surrey in England. Learn more at: www.chris-turner.net
Publisher: Red Comet, an imprint of Abrams, 2025. Originally published in 2022 by Il Castoro Publishing, Italy.
ISBN: 781636551500
Interest Level: Ages 10 and up
Reviews:
Kirkus review – Oct 14, 2025 — “An intriguing, fast-paced fantasy with appeal for fans of Percy Jackson.”
Interviews:
The Origins of “Alkrem”: An Interview with Marta Palazzesi (in Italian via publisher Il Castoro)
YA Book Central: Interview with Marta Palazzesi — June 4, 2025
You can buy a copy of Alkrem here or find it in in a local library. (Book purchases made via our affiliate link may earn GLLI a small commission.)
Kim Tyo-Dickerson is the Head of Libraries at the International School of Amsterdam, with 25 years of experience across North America, Europe, and Africa. An advocate for global literature and social justice, her work is centered on the freedom to read and fostering belonging. Kim believes stories are essential tools for making sense of our world. She holds an MLIS from Syracuse University and an MA in English from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She lives with her husband, son, and cats, Tiger Lily and Strauss in Voorburg, Netherlands.
Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of GLLI.
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 