[a:Debbie Reese|19253495|Debbie Reese|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1560282871p2/19253495.jpg] gives this an evaluation of Not Recommended.

She posted an article by Michael Thompson on her website here:
https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/2020/01/rebecca-roanho...: AmericanIndiansInChildrensLiterature (American Indians in Children's Literature)

Btw, they're not keen on Trail of Lightning, either, unfortunately.
Just goes to show that "Own Voices" is not a sufficient & simple basis for evaluation, that we need to consider other metrics.

Roanhorse elevates an interesting but otherwise standard juvenile quest novel with Navajo culture and gentle humor. ( )

* I got this book for review form the publisher for my honest thoughts*

I really enjoyed this read. I think this book did a prefect job of exploring a new myth system but still used the tired and true riordan format that works so well. I loved the fact that the lead character in this story was female and really loved her point of view. I thought the myths we were exposed to was super compelling and I really loved learning about them. I also loved how this story also developed a trio of characters that I loved learning about. I really loved the family dymancis in this story and really flew through this book. I will def check out a sequel as well. I really enjoyed this read and loved the quest elements in this book. It made me keep reading. I hope to see these characters again in the sequel! I thought the pacing in the start was was a bit clunky but overall i enjoyed the pacing of the novel. ( )

* I got this book for review form the publisher for my honest thoughts*

I really enjoyed this read. I think this book did a prefect job of exploring a new myth system but still used the tired and true riordan format that works so well. I loved the fact that the lead character in this story was female and really loved her point of view. I thought the myths we were exposed to was super compelling and I really loved learning about them. I also loved how this story also developed a trio of characters that I loved learning about. I really loved the family dymancis in this story and really flew through this book. I will def check out a sequel as well. I really enjoyed this read and loved the quest elements in this book. It made me keep reading. I hope to see these characters again in the sequel! I thought the pacing in the start was was a bit clunky but overall i enjoyed the pacing of the novel. ( )

This was so fun! I enjoyed learning about Navajo mythology. It’s a shame that we don’t learn this in school alongside the Greek, Roman, and Norse myths. ( )

Standard hero quest plot but well-paced and engaging; bonus points for being funny. ( )

We haven't bought quite every Rick Riordan presents book, but when I heard Rebecca Roanhorse was writing one, I knew we would order this one. (I loved Trail of Lightning.)

Nizhoni is a seventh grader who just wants to be good at something. Lately she's developed an ability to see monsters (frequently disguised as humans), but it turns out not many people believe her. But when Nizhoni's father disappears, she, her brother, and her best friend Davery will need the help of the Diné Holy People to defeat the ancient monsters about to be unleashed.

Filled with Navajo myth, humor, the importance of family, a talking horned lizard guide, and a desert southwest setting that made me miss Arizona. A very helpful Navajo glossary and pronunciation guide in the back. This was a real family crowd pleaser. ( )

While I love the overall message of the book (it's enough to be yourself), I found it hard to like Nizhoni -- she just doesn't resonate with me. The adventure is nonstop, kid-empowering, and covers some heavy topics. I think it works well in the Rick Riordan canon of books, and that middle grade readers will enjoy it.

For me, it wasn't a standout, but then, I also didn't really love the Lightning Thief or The Red Pyramid, so that should tell you a lot about where I'm coming from. I DO love Sal & Gabi and Tristan Strong -- and I think that's a great source of strength for this imprint and its authors -- there's a wide variety of characters and work to fall in love with. ( )

The action starts happening pretty quickly in this story about Nizhoni Begay who sees things other people do not see. Not completely confident in her new found sensibilities she enlists the help of a friend and also ends up enlisting her mostly uninterested younger brother. Together they must rescue their dad who has gotten caught in a new job where the boss is interested in more than just hiring a new employee. ( )

RGG: Using the Rick Riordan template, satisfactory representation of Dine mythology. Reading Interest: 8-12.

RGG: Using the Rick Riordan template, satisfactory representation of Dine mythology. Reading Interest: 8-12.

RGG: Using the Rick Riordan template, satisfactory representation of Dine mythology. Reading Interest: 8-12.

RGG: Using the Rick Riordan template, satisfactory representation of Dine mythology. Reading Interest: 8-12.

This was a nice read for me. It wasn't my absolute favorite, but I found the story intriguing as well as the Navajo lore. However, the story was rather predictable, and I found myself not becoming super attached to anyone in the book other than the main character. In all honesty, I wasn't super fond of the ending either. It was rushed and everything resolved itself in a way that felt too easy if that makes any sense. I do think that this is a great book for middle grade students and I think that that age group would probably enjoy this book more than I did. ( )

A current adventure using the Navajo Monsterslayer story, this book is OK, but not particularly true emotionally, as it seems what was in fact the case, written to order. ( )

It was a fun middle grade adventure featuring strong, diverse characters. Definitely would recommend for fans of Percy Jackson or those with an interest in Native American culture and mythology (especially Navaho). ( )

"The Diné have always been warriors, have always fought against the monsters who would seek to destroy us and our way of life".

I read this with We ❤ MG Lit book club and really enjoyed this one. It is important to note the criticism associated with the author's work and I recommend that you seek out Diné voices and research their culture outside of this book. I think the author the author's writing really spotlighted Diné culture and was respectful but I am not the audience to decide this. It did leave me wondering if it is ever ok to modernize sacred cultures and how much is ok to change to still remain authentic and honorable to the culture.

The first half of the story was so captivating that I breezed right through it and I contemplated if I should stay up all night. I loved Nizhoni who was not afraid to voice her opinions and take charge. I liked that the author used a character that was representative of her bi-racial/cultural identity who did not let anything stop him. The plot developed very quickly and it was easy to get swept up in the story. I wish the author would have included the side quests that were an important part of the mission, especially since Mac and Davery were so embedded in the story. I was a little disappointed that important events happened offline and took away some of the magic of the story. I would love to see a new adventure because I truly fell in love with the characters.

Overall, Race to the Sun was a great read and I am excited for more books in the future. The aspects I appreciated were:
🏹 Diné mythology and language
🏹 Biracial and Diné representation
🏹 Diné superheroes
🏹 Highlights fracking and ongoing environmental concerns on Indigenous lands
🏹 Well written and multifaceted characters that you easily fall in love with
🏹 Descriptive writing and glimpse into Navajo land
🏹 Clash of cultures, modern day colonization, honoring tradition
🏹 Single parent (Father) household
🏹 Reconciliation with family ( )

This is a fun way to learn about Navajo mythology and religious iconography. That said, everything ties up a bit too cleanly, but I think it's well-written for its intended audience of middle-grade readers and Percy Jackson fans. ( )

Please tell me this book is getting a sequel. It does not need one at all, but I WANT ONE! Nizhoni is just another Native American girl who feels out of place in her white school. She just really wants to be someone; to be famous, or known for something. She has one special ability which would have people think she is crazy rather than special: she can see demons. The only one who knows about her ability is her little brother. That is until Mr. Charles, her dad’s boss shows up and steals away her dad. Mr. Charles needs Nizhoni and her brother, but they have no understanding of why. Then her stuffed toad comes to life and informs her of her heritage and the mission she must complete to save her father, and the world.

This story was so much fun. It was based on the Navajo myth of the Hero twins. It is well written, keeps you attention, and packs a lot of action and adventure into very few pages (a rarity these days for a middle grade book!). I am in love with this book and with this author and am actively seeking out more. I can not wait to share it with my nephews and all the kids I know. I wish more stories were based on Diné (Navajo) mythology.
#BBRC
#MountTBR
#ReadHarder ( )

This was an enjoyable read, but I’ve run into the age-gap problem. This is aimed at eleven-year-olds. I am … not eleven, so the things that make work for kids—the humour, the bold strokes plot, the somewhat zany adventures and challenges—kept being a little less-than-great for me. I’m too used to depth and complexity, I think.

That didn’t stop me from happily following Nizhoni on her adventure, though. I liked her blend of timidity and boldness and the way she was engaged with her cultural heritage even though she realistically didn’t know everything about it. I liked her sidekicks too, though I have to say, Davery the nerd was definitely my favourite. I also liked the way Roanhorse wrote the Holy People as traditionally Navajo without losing their contemporary feel, and the way she dropped in tidbits of Navajo and other indigenous cultures that didn’t necessarily have to do with the plot.

Three things lessened my enjoyment in particular. The first is again a me-problem: Roanhorse’s adult novels are also grounded in Navajo culture and have enough of the “magical” elements in common with Race to the Sun that I kept having to remind myself this was a separate world. The second is that Nizhoni occasionally sounded a bit too old or a bit too young to be 12–13, but I’m not sure that’s something a less-tuned-in reader would pick up on, and honestly, I don’t really remember being that age for comparison anyway. And the third is that Roanhorse is clearly following a standardized structure, with the characters tackling one obstacle after another and largely hitting Hero’s Journey beats. Again, this is something I don’t think kids would necessarily pick up on.

To repeat, though, those are adult-reader problems, and didn’t really knock this down too much for me. I liked a lot of it! The grumpy horned lizard! The Spider Woman joke! The middle school, which I’m really hoping pops up in further indigenous Riordan Presents titles because I doubt it’ll ever exist in reality and it was cool! The themes of family and respect that ran through everything on several levels! The Navajo 101 stuff not feeling more heavy-handed than I’d expect for middle-grade! The humour not feeling nearly as in-your-face as I remember from Aru Shah and the End of Time. And Roanhorse tackles a few deeper indigenous topics, like a missing mom and the conflict between cultural values and surviving in White culture, with gentle sensitivity.

All in all, this is a liked but didn’t love, which is about what I expected, knowing that I’m pretty old for middle grade at this point. It’s a good book and I do recommend it, and not only for indigenous kids needing rep. It’s a plain fun fantasy adventure.

7/10

Contains: school bullies, brothers who do not listen, largely absent parents, nasty white people ( )

Race to the Sun was such a fun read. I loved Nizhoni and her little brother Mac, and of course can't forget about Davery!

I really liked Race to the Sun. Honestly, it was really interesting. I liked the characters and they're arks. The plot line was really interesting, there were just some parts that were kind of boring. There were whole chapters that felt pointless, but when you get to the good part, i's really good. The concept is great, and the author interpreted it really well. I would give it 4 stars.

Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse is a recent addition to Rick Riordan Presents, an imprint that features stories about characters from world mythologies, written by authors who are inspired by the mythology and the folklore of their heritage.

In his introduction for Race to the Sun, Rick Riordan shares that the character of Piper McLean from his Heroes of Olympus series was “inspired by conversations I had with Native kids” during his visits to schools.

“They asked me repeatedly whether I could add a Native hero to Percy Jackson’s world. They wanted to see themselves reflected at Camp Half-Blood, because they simply never saw themselves in popular kids’ books. Piper was my way of saying, 'Absolutely! I see you. I value you. You can be part of my world anytime!'”

Piper, who was half-Cherokee, was part of an ensemble that populated Heroes of Olympus. But Riordan believed that a story centered around a Native protagonist, inspired by Indigenous mythologies, needed to come from a Native writer.

Race to the Sun features a protagonist who is Navajo, or Diné. The author, Rebecca Roanhorse, identifies her ethnic heritage as Ohkay Owineh and African American. She is married to a Navajo man and, “for the last twelve [years], I have been the mother to a smart, funny, and beautiful Navajo daughter.”

The book centers around the adventures of Nizhoni Begay, a seventh-grader who is able to see monsters - specifically, a monster who is able to change shapes but to everyone else around her, simply looks like “Mr. Charles,” the man who’s offering her father a new job.

Nizhoni and her brother, Marcus, are “practically twins” since only 10 months separate their ages. Marcus has a special power of his own and Mr. Charles hopes to make use of it as soon as Marcus’s power manifests. To defeat Mr. Charles, Nizhoni must embrace her legacy as a slayer of monsters.

In an afterword, Roanhorse shares that she drew inspiration from the Hero Twins of traditional Navajo stories.

I enjoyed the story, which features Nizhoni’s first-person narrative throughout. Given the appeal of Riordan’s own series, as well as other stories from Rick Riordan Presents, I believe that Roanhorse’s Race to the Sun will similarly be received by young readers who enjoy mythology-based adventure.

I received a digital ARC of this book from NetGalley