Iz the Apocalypse

August 1, 2023
Fourteen-year-old Isabelle Beaufort is all-too-familiar with the foster care system. In her short life, she has been in 26 homes and 14 schools. Now in eighth grade, Iz discovers the M�tier School, a private international high school for musically gifted young people. Iz, who taught herself to play a guitar she found in a dumpster, hatches a plan to get herself into the prestigious school by forging transcripts and recommendations. When her plan succeeds, she faces new challenges--lying to her foster mother, explaining her lack of formal musical training to the M�tier faculty, and finding tuition money. Even as she begins to chafe under the burden of her lies, Iz experiences a completely different life. Now she has friends, a job, and a support system, although she struggles in her new milieu as well. The largely more privileged M�tier students make jokes and have conversations that only those with insider musical knowledge will understand. This feel-good story asks readers to suspend disbelief but also sheds light on the plight of many young people caught up in the foster care system. Iz has flashbacks to something traumatic that happened at a former home she calls "That Place," but she finds healing and catharsis through songwriting and music. Iz reads white; there is ethnic diversity in the supporting cast. A compassionate, character-driven story that will particularly resonate with music lovers. (Fiction. 12-16)

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October 30, 2023
Iz Beaufort, a musically inclined 14-year-old girl who has lived in 26 foster care homes and attended 14 schools, is accustomed to a life of transience and detachment from the people around her. Slumbering away from her passion, an unexpected encounter with Manifesto, a musical group composed of students around her age from the esteemed Métier School, strikes a chord with her growing indifference toward life. "You say my road’s not there at all / Although it seems to me that it is all I see," the budding songstress writes. Iz's awakening propels her to pursue her passion against all odds, even if it means she has to commit illicit activities.
Currie (The Mask That Sang) offers an endearing musical story beautifully spun out in words. Iz's story epitomizes what it takes to pursue the heart's deepest aspirations as she again seizes the cathartic power of music as a means to express herself—despite being an amateur amid a knowledgeable set of soon-to-be friends. As she perseveres in that, she also strives to make sense of the lingering presence of “That Place,” her term for the trauma she has yet to heal from. Music also becomes the means through which Iz gradually forms connections. Through these compelling, convincingly drawn relationships, Currie deftly underscores the ripple effects of small gestures of kindness.
The plot's somewhat familiar, at times even predictable, but Currie still surprises throughout with striking insights, evocative phrasing, and some heartbreaking twists. Written with a moving, eloquent restraint, Iz the Apocalypse is a testament to the undeniable link between art and therapy, and its strength lies in coming to terms with one's individuality—just like Iz's unique guitar tuning—and challenging societal norms. "Well, this prisoner shall be unbound / So I tear the mantle of heaven down." Ize's message is resonant: Know your rights, follow your heart, and thrive.
Takeaway: Deeply moving story of a teen girl’s melodic journey to discovering herself.
Comparable Titles: Ashley Woodfolk's The Beauty That Remains, Gayle Forman's If I Stay.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A