THE MANY FORTUNES OF MAYA, by Nicole D. Collier, Versify, Jan. 24, 2023, Hardcover, $16.99 (ages 8-12)
A girl struggles to do what she wants while still pleasing her parents in The Many Fortunes of Maya, by Nicole D. Collier.
Maya J. Jenkins is bursting with questions:
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- Will she get the MVP award at this year’s soccer banquet?
- Who will win the big grill off between Daddy and Uncle J?
- When will she pass the swim test and get a green bracelet?
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For answers and a dose of good luck, 12-year-old Maya turns to her Wheel of Fortunes, a cardboard circle covered with the small slips of wisdom she’s collected from fortune cookies.
But can the fortunes answer her deep-down questions? The ones she’s too scared to ask out loud? Like, where did Mama’s smile go, the real one that lit up everything around her? When will Daddy move back home? And most of all, does she have enough courage to truly listen to the voice in her heart? —Synopsis provided by Versify
The Many Fortunes of Maya explores real-life issues that face kids every day. Her parents aren’t happy. They need to change things up and explore life separately. Add to that, Maya desperately wants to make her dad proud. Soccer is “their thing,” and she loves it, but she’s not sure it’s her passion.
Author Nicole D. Collier’s invites her readers in with warm and comfortable prose. Her writing is like a warm hug. She takes readers on a journey as she fully realizes Maya’s character. And her use of friends is nicely balanced.
The highlights of The Many Fortunes of Maya are the familial interactions. Maya with her parents and Maya with her uncle. It’s lovely to see them work through things alone and together. It’s authentic and beautiful and full of hope and promise.
*The Many Fortunes of Maya is a Cybils-nominated book. This review is my opinion and not the opinion of the middle-grade fiction panel as a whole.
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