Cover Image: Mya's Strategy to Save the World

Mya's Strategy to Save the World

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Member Reviews

Educational, entertaining and full of heart. I loved the characters instantly and I would highly recommend this author. Cannot wait to read more from this author in the future.

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I really enjoyed this book! Mya has an easygoing, simple way of narrating, which made the story a quick read.

Mya is a great character. She has a good heart, but she also has flaws. Her dream is to work in the United Nations, so she spends a lot of her time researching social justice issues throughout the world. Her mother is in Myanmar during the story, so she has a close relation to things that are happening there. At the same time, Mya doesn’t always treat everyone fairly. She could be selfish at times, such as when she didn’t want to help her dad with chores when he was swamped with work. This balance of good qualities and flaws made her a realistic character.

I loved the way that Mya was very tuned into what was happening in the world. It is important for kids to know what problems people in different parts of the world are facing in their daily lives, and how it can affect themselves. For example, she found out that children have to mine cobalt in Africa, which is then used to make cell phones. That made her rethink her priorities.

I think Mya is a relatable character. This story was a lot of fun to read!

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Adorable! Loved it and recommended it to my students. This sweet story was passed around my classroom and enjoyed by many!

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When Mya's grandmother falls ill in Myanmar, her mother heads to her side to take care of her, leaving Mya, her younger sister Nanda, and their father to hold down the fort at home. Their father is not the best cook, so they eat a lot of toaster strudels and ramen noodles, and laundry and house cleaning are not necessarily up to standard. Mya is very involved in her schools Kids for Social Justice group, helping to run the meetings and coming up with fund raisers and letter writing campaigns. She is particularly interested in the Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, since her mother is from that country. Her best friend, Chloe, was also involved in this, but lately, Chloe has been way more interested in lip gloss, her cell phone, and whether or not Drew might kiss her. Mya doesn't have a phone (her father just will NOT see reason!), and she thinks the idea of kissing anyone is gross. She's much more concerned with preparing herself to be a shining star at the United Nations some day, working on saving the world. She has a school project that she must work on with Ian-- Chloe and her partner took cell phones, so Mya and Ian are researching texting. It doesn't help that Ian sort of like likes Mya, and Mya finds this partly gross and partly intriguing. Mya starts a multi-pronged strategy to prove to her father that she should have a cell phone, and babysits for horrible neighbor children to earn money, and tries to look after Nanda after school. She even takes cooking lessons from her aunt and tries not to complain about missing her mother, whose absence extends to over nine weeks. There are some problems-- Nanda is an avid skateboarder who is not always careful, Chloe and Mya's relationship is fragile, and Mya starts her period and her mother is not there. Everything works out in the end, her mother and grandmother come home, and Mya's quest for the ever elusive cell phone is successful.
Strengths: This looks like a graphic novel, even though it is not, but some readers will pick it up because of that. I always LOVE books about students who have a particular interest, and Mya's social justice concerns are timely and a good example. (And Mya would be proud that I keep my cell phones for as long as possible-- I've had two in the last dozen years.) Her reasoning behind getting a cell phone is so responsible; I wish my students planned so well! She also interacts with her sister and classmates in a brilliant way-- she WANTS to yell, but she remembers diplomatic training she has had. Her fights with Chloe are completely realistic, as is her relationship with Ian. This is exactly the sort of book I would have loved in middle school. Very Ellen Conford like.
Weaknesses: I was a little confused that Mya was writing to "Premier" until I remembered it was set in Canada, but I'll just try to remind students.
What I really think: Definitely purchase. I could do without the angst surrounding Mya's period, but I know that many people think this is a topic that should be covered in middle grade lit.

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I loved this book! I will be recommending it to all my middle grade readers! Thank you for this opportunity to connect books to their readers.

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Thank you to NetGalley and Puffin Books for an eARC of this book.

Mya is convinced she has what it takes to join the United Nations and help fix all the world's problems...just as soon as she figures out how to fix her own. First, she needs to convince her parents to buy her a cell phone. Next, she needs to survive her mom's absence while she's in Myanmar caring for her grandmother, followed by babysitting some neighbourhood troublemakers, her best friend's new boyfriend, her partner on a class project, and everyone trying to talk to her about periods. Mya's challenges are daunting, but her spirit just might be big enough to deal with them, and anything else life throws her way.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, especially how Mya's everyday issues are balanced with educating the reader about injustices occurring in the world, including the conflicts in Myanmar. The story is funny, and engaging, and I think kids will definitely relate to the changes that are going on in Mya's life. There are recipes shared throughout the book and lots of information about Mya's biracial family, including her parents' different religious backgrounds.

I will definitely be purchasing a copy of this book for my library.

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A fantastically written story that gives a lot of insight into what it's like to be a young teen in the age of technology. Covering issues from first periods and friendships, to balancing two different cultures, all the way to freeing political prisoners, every stage of Mya's journey feels real. As a character she is funny and thoughtful; she makes mistakes like all twelve year olds, but she never gives up. Definitely worth the read!

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