Race to the Sun

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Corrupt Corporate Executive: Mr. Charles is the CEO of a huge gas and oil corporation, seems to be friends with the President and his company destroys the environment (not to mention building a pipeline on Native land) and is the target of many protest actions. And he's also a man-eating monster who kidnaps gifted children to work for him.

The quest that Nizhoni, Mac, and Davery set out on is a great adventure tale. They were all unique characters with their own personalities and motivations. They were genuinely funny too. I loved that the author made each character bring something to their team. For me, I love reading character driven narratives where they are given the chance to change and develop throughout the book. Roanhorse achieves this in a very natural way. The kids know that what they are doing is bigger than themselves. They give it their all and stand up for what they believe in. Nizhoni’s change to see what is important was really heartwarming. Beyond this, it was a beautiful depiction of family and community. 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. Her brother, Marcus (aka Mac), is only 10 months younger than her and a gifted artist. They live with their father, who is doing his best to provide for his children after their mom ran out. He is being offered a new job in a different state and the CEO of the company has decided to pay them a visit. Ends up the new boss, Mr. Charles, is the monster Nizhoni saw in the crowd. 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. Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky | Tristan Strong Destroys the World | Tristan Strong Keeps PunchingNoodle Incident: We never learn what Mac did at the camp that turned Adrien Cuttlebush into his greatest enemy. Passionately persistent, Nizhoni was determined to be noticed. The Diné girl was often scared, and prone to mistakes, but the courageous heart always kept moving forward.

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 they only have four days to find four perfect gifts for Spider Woman and defeat four different trials on the Rainbow Road to get to the Sun. If they fail, the monsters will be set free and destroy more than just Nizhoni's hopes for a dinner at the Pasta Palace... After the game, she learns the monster in disguse is her Dad's new boss, Mr. Charles. He seems overly interested in Nizhoni and her little brother, Mac. That is Nizhoni's special power. She can see monsters. She soon discovers that her little brother has powers of his own. The two together are part of an ancient line. She and her brother are the reincarnation of the Navajo twins of legend that were monsterslayers. [In mythology, the twins were called the slayer of alien gods.] Book Smart: Nizhoni's best friend Davery is a very good student, has a lot of knowledge about various topics and reads books above his (middle grade) school level. Even his magical weapon, given to him by the Sun, is a book.A short story written by Roanhorse about Nizhoni will be featured in the upcoming short story anthology book, The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities. The cover art was revealed in February 2019 to have been by Dale Ray DeForest. [1] Reception [ edit ] What their ancestors experienced may always be a part of them but colonialism changes and transforms much like Mr. Charles does. Indigenous people adapt and continue to survive in response to colonialism. 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. Synopsis: Lately, seventh grader Nizhoni Begay has been able to detect monsters, like that man in the fancy suit who was in the bleachers at her basketball game. Turns out he's Mr. Charles, her dad's new boss at the oil and gas company, and he's alarmingly interested in Nizhoni and her brother, Mac, their Navajo heritage, and the legend of the Hero Twins. Nizhoni knows he's a threat, but her father won't believe her. Talking Animal: Mr Yazzie, a horned toad, who is also Nizhoni's mentor. He may in fact be a spirit in the form of a horned toad, however. And then there are the heralds of the sacred mountains, who are huge talking birds.