This is unique novel. It is a well written novel that exposes readers to Navajo Mythology, the culture, and the importance of family. It is a great tool for teachers to introduce Navajo Mythology and the Navajo Nation. Definitely an engaging story and worth the read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me an advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Young beautifully weaves the voices and stories of Indigenous Peoples into this fast-paced story. I loved this book for our middle grade and upper elementary students. It provides a much needed voice for Native American culture and stories in my library.

Nathan concocts a plan to avoid the complicated relationship with his father, by lying and saying he has to stay with his grandmother to complete a science project. He'd rather go without cell service and electricty to keep from having to spend time with his dad and his girlfriend.

Lost in the desert one night he meets the mythical creature of creation stories and soon his life takes a very weird turn. Nathan doesn't know who to trust, other than his grandmother, the only source of consistency in his life. His uncle isn't who he thought he was and Nathan realizes that the demons he must battle aren't only the ones that can be seen.

A fantastic book that gets into painful family relationships and how to move past the hurt towards healing.

This is an exciting adventure with Nathan, a Navajo boy who is going to spend the summer with his grandmother on the Navajo reservation. Nathan meets up with a Holy Being, whom he calls Pond. Pond is clearly sick and struggling. Nathan offers to help, as long as the other Holy Beings agree to help his uncle Jet, who is suffering from alcoholism and post traumatic stress disorder. It's a good story with interesting Navajo culture connections.

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Nathan decides he would rather spend the Arizona summer with his Nali (grandma) in her simple mobile home (no electricity or running water) than go with his father and his girlfriend to Las Vegas. It’s okay because Nathan enjoys spending time with Nali and is looking forward to seeing Uncle Jet, who is suffering from addiction. Nathan makes the best of his time with Nali, conducting an experiment comparing traditional corn kernels to modern ones. Something has been stealing the traditional kernels from the ground. One night, Nathan goes into the cornfield and finds that a little horned toad is the thief! He chases after him and soon becomes lost in the desert. Fortunately for Nathan, he finds a Holy Being. He recognizes him as a water monster form the Navajo stories Nali would recite. But this water monster is very sick with a mysterious illness. With the help of other Holy Beings that Nathan meets, he tries to help Water Monster and Uncle Jet, too.
I am glad to see so many #OwnVoices novels for middle grade readers being published. I have read another Navajo-inspired MG book, Race to the Sky, by Rebecca Roanhorse, which introduced me to some of the gods, or Holy Beings, and traditions. This book continues in that style. Although, I did enjoy the story very much, there were 2 things that kind of stood out. The first is the constant comments about Nathan’s size – I felt that this was not necessary for the plot of the book. The other is the used of the Navajo language itself – there is a glossary at the end but no pronunciation. The author explains in his note his reason why but I think the target audience, middle school kids, will have difficulty with it. I will still recommend this book for grades 4 and up.
#HealerOfTheWaterMonster #NetGalley #HarperCollins

Healer of the Water Monster
by Brian Young
HarperCollins Children's Books
Heartdrum
Children's Fiction | Middle Grade | OwnVoices
Pub Date 11 May 2021


I am reviewing a copy of Healer of the Water Monster through HarperCollins Children’s Books:




Nathan knows that when he goes to visit his Grandmother Nali, at her mobile summer home on the Navajo reservation, he knows he’s in for a pretty uneventful summer, with no electricity or cell service. But he enjoys spending time with Nali and with his uncle Jet, though it’s clear when Jet arrives that he brings his problems with him.



While lost in a nearby desert one night, Nathan comes across someone extraordinary: a Holy Being from the Navajo Creation Story, a Water Monster and the water monster is in need of help.


Nathan must now summon all his courage to save his new friend. With the help of other Navajo Holy Beings, Nathan is determined to save the Water Monster, and to support Uncle Jet in healing from his own pain.



I give Healer of the Water Monster five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Nathan knew what he was signing up for when he chose to spend his summer at his Nali's mobile home in the middle of the desert on the Navajo Reservation. No running water. No electricity. No internet. No cell service. But, more importantly, no dad's new girlfriend. No divorced parents who fight and bicker all the time. Sure, it's not what he's used to, and a bit lonely, and Nathan can't deny that he misses the comforts of home in Phoenix, but at least he's spending time with Nali, learning more about his family's history and culture, and has a really cool science project going that is sure to help him defend his first place title at next year's State Science Fair. And when Uncle Jet shows up, it gets even better!

Except things are not okay with Uncle Jet, and he and Nali fight. And something keeps stealing Nathan's heirloom corn seeds, hindering his project. Late one night, Nathan happens to come across the creature that is stealing his seed, a mysterious horned toad. When Nathan follows the toad, he ends up finding a Water Monster, a Holy Being, that is in need of healing. The Water Monster's pond has dried up, and he can't summon more water; worse, he is almost out of medicine that was gifted to him by Mother Water Monster, who resides in the Third World. Nathan agrees to help his new friend get well, though he finds that it is harder than he expects, facing challenges of the heart, mind, body, and spirit.

A fantastic, beautiful, and heart-felt debut from Brian Young, "Healer of the Water Monster" is a story of culture, faith, and different types of strength, including the greatest strength of all: love. Young expertly writes about sensitive topics for a young audience, particularly PTSD, alcoholism, depression, and racism past and present, but also beautifully shares Navajo culture and beliefs. Young's love for his culture is practically palpable in these pages, and he equally shares it freely and protects it fiercely.

I adored Nathan, and his journey throughout the book. He doesn't try to be a hero, he just tries to do the right thing. He learns that sometimes the right thing is the hard thing, and that it takes a lot of courage to do the hard thing; sometimes, he lacks that courage, but in the end knowing that it's the right thing is what sees him through, even when he's scared, even when he feels like he can't go on, even when things look bleak. There were so many times I just wanted to give Nathan a hug, and cheer him on. He's such a sweetheart, and I know that he'll go on to do even greater things. But, more importantly, Nathan felt so real. He reminded me a lot of my brother at that age. That realness just added a further level of greatness to this book, which further elevates Young as a voice to watch as his debut enters the world, with readers eagerly anticipating what will follow.

Original and interesting #OwnVoices YA adventure novel about a young Navajo boy, Nathan, who is tasked by the Holy Beings of his people's traditions and lore to try and save a dying water monster. Over the course of the sometimes wandering narrative meets traditional figures like First Turkey, various pairs of the stone Boy and Girl figures, Darkness, and Changing Woman among others. Familiarity with Diné Bahaneʼ (the Navajo creation story) is not necessary, but can be helpful for keeping track of the figures Nathan interacts with. The novel has a unique narrative style that should lend itself to reading aloud in classrooms. According to the extremely well written closing notes, a second volume is expected in the future to continue Nathan's adventure.

A fun and exciting adventure! I really enjoyed learning more about Navajo life and beliefs, and the characters were all interesting. The backmatter was a great addition, as well.

Thank you to HarperCollins Children's Books and #NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read a digital ARC of The Healer of the Water Monster by Brian Young. This middle grade book will be published in May 2021. All opinions are my own.

Nathan opts to spend the summer visiting his Nali (grandma) at her mobile home on the Navajo Reservation rather than going to Vegas with his father and his girlfriend. Nathan anticipates a boring summer as Nali's trailer has no running water, no electricity, and an outhouse filled with flies. His plan is to watch corn grow, literally, and measure it for his science project. Even without all the comforts of home, Nathan loves spending time with Nali. When his uncle Jet shows up, he seems troubled and to bring problems with him. One night, Nathan gets turned around in the desert and stumbles upon a Holy Being, a water monster. He befriends the water monster, named Pond, who is very sick and vows to help him. The task turns out to be bigger than Nathan anticipated and will send him to the Third World to face Mother Water Monster. Nathan is determined to help both Pond and his Uncle Jet get better, but the journey will be a difficult one.

The Healer of the Water Monster covers so much. It is an introduction to Navajo mythology and folklore. I loved learning about the Holy Beings and the different worlds. The book also focuses on themes related to addiction, depression, and global warming. Nathan's uncle Jet is a major character in the book and his PTSD, drinking, and depression are a major part of the conflict. The book includes positive messages about seeking help and being there in whatever capacity you can for your loved ones who are struggling. The novel did move a little more slowly than I anticipated, but it's themes were also far deeper and more complex than I anticipated as well. I thought this would be a light, fun, mythology-inspired book, but what I got was so much more than that. There is so much to learn and take away from this book that I feel I cannot fully address it all and do it justice in this short review. This book is beautifully written, emotional, and eye-opening. There is so much to take in that it creates a completely immersive reading experience that I can't wait to share with my students.

Healer of the Water Monster felt more like an absorption than a read. Young’s details awakened the narrative so much that I felt surrounded by images and beauty and the very beginning of new understandings. I laughed. I cried. I finished with dried tears on my face.
Nathan is the every day hero I hope all young people aspire to be: kind, brave, insightful. He is both bound by love and by duty to that love. He is both protector and needs to be protected. He both teaches and learns. He is at once empathic and scientific. Secondary characters, both human and from Navajo traditional tales, are sharp, at times riotously funny, and compassionate. The metaphors are stunningly beautiful and heartbreaking.
The privilege of reading this tale is mine alone. I have yet to have the opportunity to teach students of an Indigenous culture. Yet, I know that opportunity will come and, when it does, this is the book I will gently place in their hands in the hope that they’ll connect a bit more to their history if they haven’t already. Moreover, this book is a window (Sims Bishop) into a culture that, for so many more of my students, is misunderstood.
Finally, the author’s note and glossary should be required reading for anyone who reads Healer of the Water Monster. I appreciated Young’s statement regarding cultural appropriation and hope it is heeded by white people and other non-Native races. I look forward to adding Healer of the Water Monster when it comes out this spring, and I’m excited to read more from this #ownvoices author.

Oh, what a beautiful book! I loved reading about the Navajo lore. This book is informative, emotional, and just all around wonderful! I hope many readers will enjoy this book as much as I have.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.