Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse is an intriguing novel about a girl named Nizhoni, which means beautiful in Navajo. Nizhoni can see monsters and when one kidnaps her dad, she makes it her mission to bring him back. Marcus, her brother, Davery, her best friend, Mr. Yazzie, her stuffed toad who suddenly gained the ability to talk and guide her, and her all go together to get to the sun in four days.

There, she will collect weapons to fight the monsters and get her dad back. They meet many people who help them on their way to the sun, but also run into many obstacles. This is an engrossing book that pulls you in from the first sentence, “My name is Nizhoni Begay, and I can see monsters.” This is a very interesting book about Navajo mythology and would be a favorite for anyone who reads books by Rick Riordan.

This unique book is part of a program called Rick Riordan Presents. Rick Riordan is an author who has written and is still writing many books about Greek, Norse, and Egyptian mythology. Rick Riordan Presents aims to publish four books each year from under-represented cultures, in this case, Navajo. Not many people know Navajo mythology, myself included, and Rick Riordan Presents wants to change that. So far, all of the books I have read that are part of Rick Riordan Presents, Sal and Gabi Break the Universe, Aru Shah and the end of Time, and Race to the Sun are all terrific and very original. There are many other books part of Rick Riordan Presents that I definitely want to read and would recommend to many people.