Changing Woman. Rock Crystal Boy. The Glittering World. The Hero Twins. If those names don’t ring a bell, you’ve been missing out on some of the coolest mythology anywhere. (And as always, when I use the term myth, I use it in its first and most basic sense: a traditional story about gods and heroes, not in its later, more secondary connotation as something false or made up.) But don’t worry. Thanks to Rebecca Roanhorse and Race to the Sun, you’re about to plunge headfirst into the fabulous, sca...

What a warm hug of a book! This is the kind of middle grade fantasy I love- imaginative world building, solid characters with age appropriate motivations, lots of emphasis on relationships with family and friends, and a quick, action packed plot. For adult readers of Rebecca Roanhorse, this is basically a MG version of what would have happened to Trail of Lightning's protagonist if she hadn't been born in the apocalypse and had stronger existing connections to family. All around, I love Roanhors...

Actual Rating: 4.5 starsIf you are looking for a fun, middle grade fantasy adventure with monsters, mythology, and #ownvoices Native American representation, then look no further! Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse is solidly written for her target audience, so don't expect this to be subtextually for adults as well. That said, it's fun, fast-paced, and is jam-packed with Navajo mythology. On an entertaining note- the "big bad" of the story is a monster disguised as a businessman who owns an o...

Pretty sure Rebecca Roanhorse could do a magical retelling of the phone book, and I would give it five stars.... she is too powerful and must be nerfed. ANYWAY. Race to the Sun is the adventure novel of my heart: Nizhoni sees monsters. When her dad is kidnapped by one posing as his new boss, Nizhoni, her brother, and her best friend must journey into the Dinétah--Navajo lands--and complete a heroes' quest of epic proportions to get Spider Woman's help and make it to the house of the Sun. But the...

What fun! Race to the Sun is the middle grade children’s adventure novel that we absolutely needed!Written by the talented Rebecca Roanhorse, Race to the Sun uses Navajo mythology in an epic quest full of danger and trials. Main characer Nizhoni, a 7th grader who wants to be special, finds herself able to sense monsters — a gift which becomes crucial when her father goes missing.Accompanied by younger brother Mac and best friend Davery, these three tweens must navigate the American Southwest thr...

I loved this book, I wish I'd had more like this growing up!

3.5 stars 🌟 A fun read and interesting to learn about myths :)

**3.5-stars rounded up**When Nizhoni Begay notices a mysterious man in the bleachers at her Junior High basketball game, she can't take her eyes off him. In fact, she's so focused on him that she actually misses the game winning shot. Whoops.The thing is, she knows instinctively that this man is actually a monster in disguise. She recently discovered she is gifted with the ability to recognize monsters walking among us; lucky for her.After the game, she learns the monster in disguse is her Dad's...

I grew up in northern New Mexico, and I wish I had had this book when I was a kid. It's a cool fantasy adventure story about Navajo 7th graders who have to get rid of a monster by learning all kinds of awesome Navajo things. It's a wonderful use of mythology.

Okay so full disclosure that I am not an unbiased reviewer.I literally spend my days trying to find books for unserved Indigenous communities AND OH MY GOD THERE IS LIKE NOTHING OUT THERE! Now I don't live anywhere near a Navajo territory but having a book I can take to the communities I do serve with a power-wielding bad-ass Indigenous girl fighting against some evil dude trying to destroy the environment...is amazing! She's incredibly relatable and I love her family's backstory.Rep: Navajo rep...

Reviewed at the Alliterates: Race to the Sun review “Who you are is always enough.”  Nizhoni is in love with spaghetti, her Frank Waln shirt, and she has an incurable desire to be internet famous.Roanhorse repeatedly makes it known that she wants books for her daughter to relate to when she grows up. This book is for right now.Roanhorse is Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, African-American and Diné-in-law. Her daughter is Diné and part of that community. This book is an act of love for her daughter. It en...

This was fun, and though I kept thinking as I was reading that Nizhoni Begay was was an ancestor of Maggie Hoskie (of Rebecsa Roanhorse's The Sixth World series) because of her monster-related abilities.Nizhoni Begay wants to be famous and adored, to make up for her father's neglect, which is probably due to his feelings about her missing mother. Nizhoni's dearest wish is to be a hero. Her life takes a left turn when she sees a monster one day in the stands at her basketball game, and soon after...

During the month of November, I took part in a middle grade readathon called Believathon. This was my first year participating, and almost all the books I was drawn to for my tbr were from the Rick Riordan Presents series. Ever since I heard about Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse, I was really intrigued by it, so I was over the moon when I could check out a copy from my local library. Race to the Sun is about Nizhoni Begay, a seventh grader who longs to be famous and just so happens to be ab...

I consider really more of a 3.5/4 star title but because I’m irritated by those who are racist and claiming only the pure Dine should write such a story, I’m giving it 5 stars. As many in the community should know, there are not that many pure blood Native Americans around because of genocide. Insisting that only one who is pure blooded can write such a story is making the bar way too high. Someone who has been immersed for fifteen years in the Dine culture and is raising a daughter to love her

What a fun adventure! Great cast of characters, each with her/his own individual and endearing traits (view spoiler)[(uh, excluding Mr. Charles and his band of monsters, of course - not endearing at all. ug. ;) ) (hide spoiler)]. I read Race to the Sun with my 12-year-old daughter and we had a great time with it. My daughter especially liked the colorful characters, exciting story line, and entertaining dialogue. We laughed and acted out scenes from the book, complete with Nizhoni facial express...

We are heroes, but maybe we just don't know it yet.Nizhoni is just your normal 7th grader. But lately she's started seeing monsters, like the one attending her basketball game, like the one that turns out to be Mr. Charles, her dad's potential boss at the oil and gas company. He's strangely interested in her family, their Navajo heritage, and the legend of the Hero Twins. Despite her best attempts to warn him, Nizhoni's father won't believe his boss is a threat.When her dad disappears the next d...