Anthropomorphic Personification: Johonaa'ei (the Sun), also called "the Merciless One" is a well-dressed Navajo man with a rather short temper who lives in an imposing mansion. Big Brother Instinct: Or rather Big Sister. Nizhoni is very protective of Mac (even though he is just 10 months younger) and tries to protect him at all times.

Action Mom: Nizhoni's mom left the family to fight monsters and failed, but once she is released from Lost and Found, she goes into monster-slaying action, wielding a lightning sword, nonetheless. Cool Sword: Nizhoni's mother gets one made by Johonaa'ei from lightning. According to its creator, "it always strikes true". This book follows primarily Nizhóní but along with her on her journey to save the world are her best friend Davery and her brother Mac. Davery may not be magical like Nizhóní or her brother, but he’s always there for them. He’s smart. He might be kind of a nerd but nerds can be heroes too. As an adult I of course knew that, but 12 year old me would’ve loved to see that.For all kids, reading about other cultures’ mythologies is a way to expand their imagination and their empathy. There’s an old Czech proverb: Learn a new language, gain a new soul. Mythology is similar. The traditional sacred stories of every culture can offer us a new window onto the world – a new way of seeing and understanding. As a bonus, mythology is wildly entertaining! Mac is Nizhóní’s younger brother and has his own ancestral power. He can control water. He realizes this in a really cool scene with some bullies who’ve been bothering him. He’s also a great artist like his mother. We don’t get to see too much of that. I wasn’t too mad at that, though. They’re trying to save the world. Saving the best for last is Nizhóní. She is a monsterslayer and with that comes some powers of her own. She wants nothing more than to be the hero and/or famous. Whether that be in a basketball game, on YouTube or anything else. None of that seems to end well for her, though. She was truly a good kid, but she had struggles to work through. Anger has been a struggle for her. Her women seemingly left their family when she was a toddler. Through this whole journey she learns what being a hero truly is. So Proud of You: Everyone is very proud of Nizhoni at the end—and her dad finally seems to notice her. I grew up in Southern Arizona and when I was little I would catch and play with horned toads (we called them horny toads). I freaking loved them and I am not a lizard girl at all. I would hold them and pet them and then let them go (sadly, of course, as I always wanted one as a pet). Every time I see or hear about one nowadays, I get so happy. So imagine my happiness level when a character in this book is an actual horned toad who is helping our hero along in her story. It really bumped this book up to another level for me personally.

Frybread is not traditional, but there’s no shame in it. Your ancestors created food out of nothing, like magic.

About This Game

Synopsis: Lately, seventh grader Nizhoni Begay has been able to detect monsters, like that man in the fancy suit who was in the bleachers at her basketball game. Turns out he's Mr. Charles, her dad's new boss at the oil and gas company, and he's alarmingly interested in Nizhoni and her brother, Mac, their Navajo heritage, and the legend of the Hero Twins. Nizhoni knows he's a threat, but her father won't believe her. Passionately persistent, Nizhoni was determined to be noticed. The Diné girl was often scared, and prone to mistakes, but the courageous heart always kept moving forward. Roanhorse repeatedly makes it known that she wants books for her daughter to relate to when she grows up. This book is for right now. Should the total distance of 160 km be daunting to some, consider entering a Team of two Relay and ride only half the distance to have the full experience. Nizhoni shares her suspicions on Mr. Charles with her father, who doesn't believe her. In fact, he seems disappointed in her, but when Mr. Begay ends up getting kidnapped by Mr. Charles and his cronies, it is up to Nizhoni to save him!

A short story written by Roanhorse about Nizhoni will be featured in the upcoming short story anthology book, The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities. The cover art was revealed in February 2019 to have been by Dale Ray DeForest. [1] Reception [ edit ] Right now, she was playing in a basketball game on the team of the Isotopes against the Beavers. However, she noticed one of the spectators was wearing a suit as opposed to everyone else, so Nizhoni suspected him to be a monster as they often disguised themselves as humans, she'd seen it twice before. Coach told Nizhoni to focus on her, she was a little short probably due to being a descendant of the Hopi tribe. A timeout was called with five seconds of the game left, confident Nizhoni offered to take the last shot when Davery Descheny, her best and only friend since preschool, passes her the ball. As no one else volunteered, Coach reluctantly allowed it. When her dad disappears the next day, he leaves a message that sends Nizhoni, her brother Mac, and her best friend Davery on a rescue mission that can only be accomplished with the help of the Diné Holy People. The kids must go through a series of trials fraught with killer nature to reach the House of the Sun. Can Nizhoni defeat Mr. Charles's monsters and save her father? The Smart Guy: Nizhoni's best friend Davery. He loves reading (and his father is a librarian), knows a lot about various topics, is very Internet-savvy and his magical weapon is a book of knowledge.

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Shout-Out: When Nizhoni tells Mac they need to find Spider Woman, he thinks of Spider-Man—and later it turns out she is a fan. Aru Shah and the End of Time | Aru Shah and the Song of Death | Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes | Aru Shah and the City of Gold Plot Coupon: Nizhoni, Mac and Davery need to collect four object from four sacred mountains to give to Spider Woman because otherwise she won't help them.