This is a book that the world has needed for quite some time. As a society we need more stories told from an Indigenous perspective, especially texts for children. This novel introduces readers of all ages to folklore that is often left out of discussions of folklore and mythology. Add in the fact that the main character is a girl means that his novel fills yet another gap in current literature-- a fantasy hero's journey featuring a hero who is not male. A great read for children and adults alike.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

Before I read Race to the Sun, I knew nothing about Navajo culture and its legends. Rebecca Roanhorse writes a compelling story that will appeal to both young readers and adults. I loved following Nizhoni, her brother, Mac, and her best friend, Davery, as they try to find their way down the Rainbow Road in order to find weapons to fight against the monster who has kidnapped her father. Although this appears to be a standalone book, I really hope to see more of these characters.

While this book was a fun enough read, it would have been much better if the author herself had been Navajo. Not that author's can't write something outside their complete knowledge, but from what I understand, there were inaccuracies due to this.

Rebecca Roanhorse is one of the authors I prioritize. Her stories are deeply moving and adventurous, and her heroines always nuanced and interesting - I was happy but not surprised to find this to be true of her YA as well as her adult fantasy novels, and it really shows just how versatile she is that she's able to take similar elements and create entire new and wonderful stories for audiences of all ages.

Even though I'm much older than this book's target audience, I found it highly enjoyable. I loved the story and it will a perfect addition to our Indigenous People homeschool unit study. I'm absolutely positive the girls will love it as much as I did.

What I loved about Race to the Sun: Navajo mythology!
What I didn’t love about Race to the Sun: Most everything else.

My problem with the Rick Riordan imprint has been that so many of these books end up feeling like “Percy Jackson with xx mythology!” The ones that stand out for me are the ones that allow their mythologies to shape stories and characters instead of just plunking them into the Percy Jackson template. (It’s not that the Percy Jackson books are bad! It’s just that they’re a very specific kind of western hero’s journey, not the prototype for all mythology-based middle grades fiction.) Race to the Sun has tons of cool Navajo mythology in it, and I actually learned things I did not know about Navajo culture and myth while I was reading it. But Nizhoni, who discovers that she and her brother Mac are descendants of the legendary Hero Twins, navigates this weird terrain of being a spokesperson for the Diné AND someone who knows almost nothing about them (even though she’s participated in an important coming-of-age ceremony) at the same time. Because of this, her journey to the house of the Sun to defeat the ancient monsters Nizhoni is destined to battle feels a little like a Marvel comics version of Navajo myth. (And again — I’m a Marvel fan I'm just not sold on this particular comic book interpretation. It feels like the author is saying, “look kids, Navajo mythology is cool!” But the story itself should be doing that, right?)

I think there are some great seeds here, and I’d love to read a book that grows them in a different environment. Navajo mythology is fascinating, and I think it’s a great fit for the Riordan imprint. This book, though, was a miss for me. (But it did inspire me to reread Tristan Strong, which is always a good thing.)

Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

Race to the Sun by Ms. Roanhorse is an engaging read for middle schoolers. It is an action-packed, intriguing narrative with the elements of Navajo myths. Ms. Roanhorse provides the readers with a view of the lifestyles of children of indigenous heritage as they adapt to Western cultural issues. The story consists of Navajo cultural art, culture, and a sense of adaptation to society. The political thread is well defined and gives readers an alternative view of the world from the eyes of people other than the dominant cultures.

I highly recommend this book to all middle grade students.

I put this book down at the recommendation of a Native friend who found it problematic. Because I am not an Indigenous Person, I rely on the blogs and sites of trusted colleagues, who found Race to the Sun did not adhere to the traditional Native boundaries that are there to keep cultural appropriation from happening. The books I choose for my classroom library are ones that I cultivate carefully, especially when they are outside of my culture. Unfortunately, this book is one that won't fit the bill for me.

My students have loved Rick Riordan's books, and now I know they will love books from his imprint. Race to the Sun was an excellent story. I learned a bit about Navajo myths and a few Navajo words in the process.

I read some of this aloud to my students (with permission from the publisher) and they enjoyed it.

It is an exciting story, with a wonderful protagonist, who has a wonderful friend, and a brother that help her on her journey.

This is an interesting middle school science-fiction novel. It revolves around a group of Native American children who are trying to protect the world from evil monsters. They are learning the Navaho stories about good and evil and the world.

I am not Navaho, nor am I familiar with the legends or language so I cannot comment on those things. I found the story fascinating, but had problems with so many native words being used. When I read, my mind wants to sound out the words and how to pronounce the words had me trying to just remember them as sight words and never "hear" them. Someone who has a better facility with languages would probably have no trouble.

I was reading on a kindle, so it wasn't until I finished the book that I found a glossary of terms in the back. I wish I had known about that sooner although it would have been tiresome to go back and forth between it and the pages I was reading - this is a drawback for e-readers!

I found it hard to get into the story initially. Because I failed to read the introduction by Rick Riordan it wasn't until the second chapter that I knew for certain that Nizhoni, our protagonist, is a girl. I imagine many of the young readers will do the same.

I do love the idea of having stories written about different cultures. I think this book will be a great addition to the reading list of any young person.

I thought this was a really interesting and entertaining book. Another strong entry in the Rick Riordan Presents line.

Another fabulous book from Rick Riordan Presents! Race to the Sun is a great first book in a series that will delight fans of Rick Riordan and the other Rick Riordan Presents authors.

<i>Race to the Sun</i> features a protagonist who is Navajo, or Diné. The author, Rebecca Roanhorse, was inspired by the story of the Hero Twins from traditional Navajo stories. The main character, Nizhoni Begay, is able to see monsters and her brother, Marcus, is expected to soon come into a power of his own. (The villain, a monster who is able to shift his shape, wants to exploit Marcus as soon as he comes into his ability.) Altogether, this book was an enjoyable read, and I believe it will appeal to fans of mythology-based adventure.

At first glance, this is little more than a Percy Jackson clone. This is another writer following Riordan's formula with a different culture's mythology. It follows a standard hero journey: seeking an object that will allow them to defeat the villain, traveling with companions, confronting your personality flaws along the way. The over all plot is, thus, fairly predictable. But Roanhorse does a pretty good job of putting interesting flesh onto those standard bones. The characters have reasonable complexity. And Nizhoni's personal journey is a compelling one. As always, books like this one encourage the reader to learn more about a culture and it's mythology.

“There are so many wonderful Indigenous mythologies. They deserve to be read, shared, and spotlighted.”
-- Rick Riordan

Rebecca Roanhorse is a fantastic writer. She brings characters to life and draws upon vivid imagery to make the story shine. I knew this before I began Race to the Sun and these words remained true once I reached the end. There are so many wonderful stories I have discovered through Riordan’s works and Rick Riordan Presents, but this one remains poignant in the American culture. Navajo culture and mythology, among others with which I am quickly familiarizing myself, represents something once thought lost and remains strong even today. Nizhoni, her brother Mac, and friend Davery embark on a path to save their home and their families. The moment Nizhoni decided her path and made her choices, she became one of the greatest heroines I have ever read.

I adore all of the Rick Riordan Presents titles, but this was one of my favorites. The characters were engaging and now of the mythology felt forced to fit into a storyline, rather the story was led forward by the mythology.

I especially liked how names/words with unfamiliar pronunciations were explained by the characters. Because the Navajo language has different sounds, this helped me to be more confident that I was pronouncing things correctly without constantly having to flip to the back of the book to the glossary. Especially for younger middle grade readers, this would help them stay in the story and make it a more enjoyable reading experience.

Nizhoni, Mac, and Davery were such a fun trio to follow. All three were well developed and had their own distinct personalities. I would like to see this story continue and see what other adventures these three could go on. THey are a great mix of humor, intuition, and bravery that I think would be really appealing to a variety of middle grade readers.

Every one of the Rick Riordan Presents books has been a win for me (though admittedly, of varying degrees) and Race to the Sun is no exception! It's fun and well written and kids are intrigued by it, so they're going to love it like I did.

**3.5-stars rounded up**

When Nizhoni Begay notices a mysterious man in a suit sitting in the bleachers at her Junior High basketball game, she can't take her eyes off him. So much so, she misses the game winning shot.

The thing is, she knows instinctively that this man is a monster in disguise.

After the game, she learns the monster is her Dad's new boss, Mr. Charles, and he is very interested in Nizhoni and her little brother, Mac.

Nizhoni calls out Mr. Charles to her Dad, who doesn't believe her.

In fact, he seems disappointed in her outburst, but when Mr. Begay ends up getting kidnapped by Mr. Charles and his cronies, it is up to Nizhoni to save him!

Nizhoni has always wanted to be a hero and this is her chance.

Along with her best friend, Davery, and her little brother, Mac, they set out on a quest to rescue Mr. Begay and stop Mr. Charles from releasing a horde of ancient monsters upon the world.

Working off the Navajo legend of the Hero Twins, this adventurous Middle Grade novel tackles facing our fears and the importance of family.

While it started out a little slow for me, once the kids finally got into the quest, meeting the Spider Woman and finding the Rainbow Road, I really started to enjoy it.

I didn't find this quite as humorous as earlier releases by this imprint, but that is really personal taste more than an issue with the book itself.

Overall, this is a great story for Middle Grade readers. I loved learning more about the legends of the Navajo culture and if more books release in this series, I would absolutely read them.

Nizhoni and Davery's friendship was so pure and I loved little Mac as well!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Disney Book Group, as well as Rick Riordan Presents, for providing me with an early copy of this to read and review.

I have enjoyed so many of the books in this imprint and this one is no exception!

I hate to say this about a middle grade novel, but this was hella fun! If you know me, you know any story about quests and demigods is my JAM. And this one was no different. I found this novel to be delightful and I really want there to be another!
Nizhoni wants to be someone who everyone likes. But when she realizes she's starting to see monsters, she doesn't think that's ever going to happen. And her chances are even worse when she realizes the newest monster she sees is her dad's new boss. But she warns him and her brother, neither one believe her. But then, her dad disappears and she knows its the monsters who got him and as it turns out, Nizhoni is one of the only people who can save him.
I've read one of Roanhorse's adult books, (Trail of Lightning) so I was really interested in seeing how she would do in writing a middle grade novel. (I mean there's two whole age groups in-between it!) And I have to say, she did excellent. Nizhoni is hilarious, the text is super easy to read, and the legnds are done in such an interesting way. I loved her writing style.
As far as the plot, I liked it for the most part. Just like with her other novel, for the main character to be a monster slayer, there weren't that many monsters to slay. But because she was on a quest, I was satisfied with the other trials she witnessed along the way. And trust me, there were some real tough ones! And as for the ending, I was not a fan. It was like this whole build up for this huge battle scene and it was over in a couple pages. But it was nice to finally see some monster fighting.
The best thing about this though was undoubtedly the representation of the Indigenous culture. This is the beauty of #OwnVoices. I know I say this every time I read an #OwnVoices novel, but I'm so happy to see so many more of them. And I respect the hell out of Riordan for knowing that he couldn't tell this story better than Roanhorse. He may be one of the greats, but there's no way he could do better than someone who has experienced this or close to it. And I respect the hell outta Roanhorse for making this story so amazing and so fun and giving all Native kids a story to see themselves as a hero.
This was truly a delight to read and I really hope it gets into the hands of the right readers! Whether that be someone who's looking to see themselves in a story, or even just someone looking for a super fun story on demigods and quests. This is definitely a book that will satisfy both and I look forward to using this, this summer during my summer reading program!

I am loving all of these middle grade mythology retellings from Rick Riordan's imprint. I have read two of Rebecca Roanhorse's adult books, so I was very excited for her middle grade book.
This book follows Nizhoni, who can see monsters, as she embarks on a fantastic journey with her little brother, Mac, and her best friend, Davery. Together they must defeat the monsters to save the world.
This is a perfect book for anyone who likes the Percy Jackson series.