I'm of course an adult reading a book for middle graders, so mostly I just wanted to shake poor Kaya because it was SO OBVIOUS the lesson she was missing and she just needed to FIGURE IT OUT already! But also, I was stressing so badly for the kid the ENTIRE book as well as for Jessie and Tyler trying to still be nice. I really enjoyed the way the end wrapped it up. It does a great job of wrapping up very real issues with cutsey Renn faire stuff and Kaya is truly adorable, if a bit stubborn!

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this story! Set at a renaissance themed faire, Kaya is a tween girl who dreams of being the queen — but gets cast as the jester instead. She learns to stand up for herself and fights back against her camp counsellor's prejudiced beliefs about who belongs at the faire. Funny and with a great voice, I highly recommend this novel!

Kaya Morgan is going into 8th grade and her dad just died. Their thing used to be going to Renaissance fairs. Now that her dead is dead, her mother worked it out so that Kaya can go to the Renaissance fair for the summer. Her dream is to be the queen, because that’s what her dad wanted her to be. Instead of being a queen, she gets cast as the apprentice to the court jester. To make matters worse, the girls around her are more like frenemies than friends. She’s disheartened by her new role until her uncle tells her that her father was a jester before he became an archer. Determined to fight for her dreams, she unwittingly becomes exploited by a diversity campaign to save the fair. Will Kaya realize her dream or is her dream more tainted than she wants?

The plot is well written, engaging, and heartwarming. The characters are authentic, well rounded, and easy to relate to. Themes of diversity, racism, and family legacy are well intermixed into the plot. Readers who like realistic fiction, Renaissance fairs, and fighting for one’s dreams will want to pick this one. Recommended for most library collections. 5 stars, Gr 4 to 7.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Jill Tew, and the publisher of the book for the eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Kaya has always spent her summers with her dad at what she considers the greatest place on earth: the Renaissance Faire. The fair is full of performers, enchanting fairies, and heroes. the Faire has always been a place where anyone can be anything they want to be. It’s a place for dreaming, including Kaya's dream of becoming the first Black Queen of the Faire.

Then Kaya’s dad gets sick, and passes away. Kaya’s so sad, but she refuses to let her dream die. She enrolls at the Faire’s summer camp, determined to become the camp’s junior Queen. But when the role is given to the pretty and blond, the only spot left for Kaya is the juggling Court Jester.

It's bad enough that it’s a summer at the Ren Faire without her dad, and that Kaya’s family thinks her love of the faire is weird. Everyone around her is determined to put her in a role she doesn’t want to be in, so Kaya must decide whether to hold on to her old dreams or realize that it’s okay for new dreams to take hold.

A sweet middle-grade novel about one girl’s amazing summer at the Renaissance Faire, breaking down the barriers, and remaining true to herself.

Kaya Morgan is going into 8th grade. She is still reeling from her father’s death. To honor her father’s memory, she wants to spend the summer at the Renaissance fair her and her father used to go to together. She wants to fulfill her and her father’s dream for her of being queen. Things, however, don’t go as planned. She gets apprenticed as the court jester, she doesn’t get along that well with the girls, and she has to deal with a lot of racism. She’s disheartened and about to give up when she learns from her uncle that her dad started out as a jester. He only later became an archer. Determined to make her and her father’s dream come true, she ends up getting exploited by a diversity campaign for the fair Will Kaya make her dreams come true or will she realize something else is more important?

The plot is well written, realistic, and easy to relate to. The characters are authentic, well rounded, and believable. Themes of racism and dreams coming true are strong, but don’t overwhelm the plot. Readers who like Renaissance fairs, realistic fiction, and books dealing with grief will want to pick this one up. Recommended for most middle grade library collections

I loved this book. With its heartfelt tone and believable main character Kaya, I remembered what it was to be enchanted by the Renaissance faire. Ms. Tew reminds us all why tweens and teens need spaces to be fully themselves. And how we can create these spaces for them.
Kaya's journey to Queendom provides a refreshing view on what it means to have an interest that is considered atypical and how to exist in a space that some may not think is yours.
You can tell a book is well written when you find yourself tearing up with the main character and cheering when things finally go right. This is one of those books. So if you've ever felt atypical this book is for you.

I loved Kaya’s journey in this book. Having the faire mean so much to her not only because it connects her to her father whom she recently lost, but also having it be something that filled her childhood with such joy just makes me happy. I also love how she challenges the views that the camp has on being inclusive and her journey to realize that while the camp was using images of her, they were not using them in a way that drew other people in her community to the faire or making them feel like they belonged at the faire too. Fantasy and the faire should be for everyone, it should be a place where people of all cultures can come together and enjoy being a part of the fantasy without worrying about being historically accurate. It is also a place where you should be able to show your talents and do so in a way that brings you joy.
Thank you to Disney Publishing Worldwide for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

I haven’t seen many MG books centered around RenFaire so this was really exciting. Kaya is an immediately relatable character for young readers so I think even kids who aren’t into renaissance fairs will enjoy the story.

There is so much happening in Kaya Morgan's Crowning Achievement. Kaya and her family are grieving the loss of her father, while navigating a summer camp frought with highs and lows, friends and foes, and adults with different intentions. It's a lot for a young girl to handle, and at times, could be a lot for a young reader to sort out. While the writing demonstrates the very real confusion of meeting new people and trying to decide if their friendship and kindness are real or fake, it's rather confusing to read as well. But I do appreciate having a book that tackles the hidden and overt prejudices and discrimination present in modern America in a lighter way for younger children.

Running late with my review but it was good. I do love a Renaissance Faire and would like to attend Kaya's and have her be Queen. I good story of friendship, racism, and believing in yourself. Proud of Kaya!

I loved this book so much! Kaya is such a relatable character--she is ambitious and smart and energetic sometimes lets her big dreams overwhelm what's happening right in front of her. Kaya makes mistakes, but she recognizes those mistakes and does her best to correct them. But mostly, I just loved how much she loved the Renaissance Faire! The setting was fantastic and totally unique for a MG novel. Issues of racism were handled with care and empathy, perfect for young readers and older readers alike.

This was such a hilarious, heartfelt, and fabulously geeky MG novel! Love love love the Renaissance Faire backdrop! 5 stars for sure!

Kaya is very excited to be attending a Renaissance fair two week camp near her home in Georgia. When her father was alive, he would work at the fair as the lead archer, but since his death, Kaya has missed the event. Her fondest dream is to earn the role of Queen, and knows that this would make her father proud, since he always supported her, buying her princess dresses from the time she was young. Her mother is a bit harried, having to work double shifts as a nurse and take care of Kaya and well as her older brother, Kev. Jr., who is starting college in the fall, so doesn't have time to give Kaya the proper regal hairdo. Her friend Tyler Nomura is going as well, and hopes to be a knight. When Tyler and Kaya get to camp, they are a little worried that the only other participants are from a fancy private school, and when blonde Jessie is crowned queen for the first week, it adds insult to injury that Kaya is training to be a jester. It's not that she hates working with Barry, who knew her father, and it is interesting that Kaya's father started out as a jester as well. It's just not Kaya's dream, even though she is quite good in the role. She fights a bit with Jessie and her friend Wren, although Jessie seems nice. For the second week, Kaya does get to intern with the queen, and puts her own spin on things by including a bit of archery with her skit. At the final showcase, the camp director brings in board members, and the children find out that unless the board provides more monetary support, there won't be another camp. The racist behavior of the camp director, who tells Kaya that she's just not "suited" to the role, brings out details about the difficulties her father had being accepted by the others in the fair, and makes Kev, Jr. angry. WHen the director tries to use a video of Kaya to promote diversity at the camp even though there really isn't any, Kaya knows she needs to do something. Kaya works with Tyler, as well as Jessie and the others, to show the world that the Renaissance fair should be more inclusive.
Strengths: I think Kaya would get along quite well with Allen's Mya Tibbs. Both girls know exactly what they want, and aren't afraid to stand up for themselves in order to get it. In doing so, they sometimes rub other people the wrong way. Jessie and her friends ended up being fairly nice and helpful, but Kaya's reaction to them caused them to include Tyler in some of their plans but not Kaya. The family's interest in "geeky" pursuits, and the prejudice they face because of them, will resonate especially with the Black nerd community who are starting to get some attention in books like Baptiste's Boy 2.0. I especially liked the details about archery, juggling, and Kaya's hair dos.
Weaknesses: While the director's behavior near the end of the book is certainly inexcusably racist, when Kaya was first chosen as jester, she didn't seem to have any real reason to be upset, other than she wanted the part and didn't get it. When she turned out to be very good at the role, I thought this would take a turn ala 1950s teen romances where dreams are dashed, but better dreams emerge.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed Jamieson's All's Faire in Middle School but want to see more knights and princesses of color. I can't think of any other middle grade books that include this cultural phenomenon. While I certainly had lots of friends who were involved in this (which is why I know all about how to care for homemade chain mail), my students haven't picked up All's Faire in Middle School frequently, even though it's a graphic novel.

I absolutely adored this book. Tew's foray into Middle Grade is NOT to be missed. The voice is spot on, the characters are compelling, and the message is (though I hate this phrase in relation to MG) important! All the stars! All the crowns!

Spent this weekend devouring KAYA MORGAN'S CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT and oh, my goodness. Cute, funny, wonderfully geeky, and beautifully heartfelt, Kaya's voice is gonna stick with me for a long time. And the Ren Faire atmosphere? Unmatched. Read this!!

I recieved a free eARC of this book. Thank you for the opportunity to read it!

Kaya's father was the lead archer for the Rennaisance Fair before his death, and it was always Kaya's special place. Now, as a middle schooler, she has a chance to do apprentice camp, and finally have a chance of fulfilling her dreams of being the queen of the fair, which she and her father always dreamed of. But, will Kaya get that chance?

The Freedom Fire series is wonderful. Disney/Hyperion has really done a great job of elevating Black voices and providing books that will allow Black kids to see themselves, and non-BIPOC kids to see the struggles their classmates and friends face. Kaya's struggles to be seen as the queen, and the willingness of the fair director to use Kaya's grief and skin color in an effort to make the faie seem more diverse while typecasting his BIPOC interns rings true. And the triumph is well earned and justified.

This book deserves a place in schools, community libraries, and book fairs.