Race to the Sun

Roanhorse, Rebecca. Race to the Sun
January 14th 2020 by Rick Riordan Presents
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Nizhoni Begay struggles a bit. She manages to embarrass herself on the basketball court, watches out for her younger brother Mac because her mother left several years previously, and has to deal with her father's long work hours. When he is approached by Mr. Charles, who wants him to relocate the family to Tulsa, Nizhoni  is concerned about moving but also because Mr. Charles is a monster! A statue of a toad, Mr. Yazzie, that she has in her room comes to life and reinforces this information, and is very helpful. Her father doesn't believe that Mr. Charles wants to kill her because she can see monsters, so when she and her brother are called to the office at school, Nizhoni decides to run away, getting help from her best friend Davery (who helpfully has a credit card!). Mr. Yazzie sends them off to try to find Spider woman, who can help get their father back from Mr. Charles. In order to request a map from her, there is a quest to get four jewels from the Four Sacred Mountains, as described in a song that a Diné Holy Person has given them. When they finally meet the Spider Woman, she tells them that a map is not needed, but Nizhoni  still needs to travel the path to the sun in order to free her father. Along the way, there are trials and tribulations, she briefly loses both Mac and Davery, and she finds someone from her past who is able to help. In the end, will her skills and powers as a Hero Twin be enough to send Mr. Charles and his monsters back and keep the world safe?
Strengths: This was much easier to follow than most fantasy books, and had a lot of action and adventure. The inclusion of Navajo mythology was well done, and Riordan's note that "mythology" means tales of gods and goddesses and does NOT necessarily mean false or untrue stories was very helpful. Nizhoni learns more about her culture from a variety of sources, embraces her role as a hero, and undertakes her quest with good humor. This was definitely one of the better books from this imprint; not a surprise, given the author's award winning background.
Weaknesses: I could have done without Nizhoni's problems in school; they didn't really add much to the story and felt as if they were included because all middle grade novels now must included problems.
What I really think: Definitely purchasing, but I wish that the Rick Riordan Presents books would be stand alones and not series. If they are series, it would be nice to have trilogies. I spend a lot of money on later books in a series that very few students read. I can't imagine they sell terribly well.