Reviews

Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

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jencunn2024's review against another edition

4.0

This middle grades YA fantasy features a young American Navajo girl named Nizhoni who dreams of being a true hero. She senses monsters in the real world and sometimes it is distracting. She is protective of her little brother who seems to attract the real-life monsters, some of the bullies at school. Next thing you know Nizhoni is accusing her dad’s boss of being a monster and then she realizes her dad has been kidnapped by his boss! She and her best friend Davery start working the case and end up on an adventurer’s journey along the trail of Navajo holy people and ancestors, including her mom who went missing when Nizhoni was just a toddler. Along the way, Nizhoni travels a traditional hero’s arc with her sidekicks — Davery and her brother Mac and a talking horned toad named Yazzie. Along the way she learns many valuable lessons about heroism, friendship, family, ancestry, and following your dreams. This is both a fun and modern story by fantasy writer Rebecca Roanhorse. It’s a great family read as well as setting sail to your middle grader’s imagination! There may be some great lessons about platonic friendship and respect for other kids as well.

winniefreddie939's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

thechanelmuse's review against another edition

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3.0

Fun fantasy read, yet a bit predictable. I really enjoyed the incorporation of Navajo mythology.

libbey_wolfe's review against another edition

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5.0

A wonderful story that anyone who has enjoyed the adventures of Percy Jackson, Aru Shah, Paola Santiago and Sikander 'Sik' Aziz , will most likely enjoy Nizhoni Begay's too.

jess_mango's review against another edition

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4.0

3.5 stars

Race to the Sun is a middle grade novel about a Navajo girl named Nizohni who discovers that she can see monsters. It turns out that her dad's new boss who is visiting from out of town is one such monster and so Nizohni's adventure begins.

We had high hopes for this one that the book didn't quite live up to. This tale is woven through with lots of Native American folklore and mythology but the story didn't 100% grasp my 10 year old son's attention.