A Tale of Plagues and Perfumes by Jake Halpern, Peter Kujawinski

Nia hides her extraordinary sense of smell. Her mother was worried it would lead her to a fate worse than death. When her mother dies, Nia lives on the streets, where she meets Fox. Between her nose and Fox’s street smarts, Nia survives, but when she is taken in by an aunt, life is much easier. Then a plague arrives in the cargo of a ship. Nia and Fox want to get a closer look at the people from the Cloister coming off the ship. The Cloister is full of Sinsories, people with exceptional sensory abilities, who have created cures for past plagues. When Nia is identified as a Sinsory, she joins the Cloister and learns there are more secrets than schooling. As the plague gets closer and closer to home and family, Nia must use her ability to sniff out the right cure and the Cloister’s secrets before the worst plague in decades decimates them all.

The heroes in this tale have exceptional senses used to save the world, and indeed, the sense of smell as a saving grace is original. While the science behind the world-building is questionable, the target audience will enjoy the adventurous nature of Fox and Nia.