Spirit Week Showdown (The Magnificent Mya Tibbs #1)

Nuanced depictions of friendship coupled with larger-than-life and fully three-dimensional characters make this delightful book at once thoughtful and a riot to read. 

In this entertaining first book in the Magnificent Mya Tibbs series, African-American fourth-grader Mya dreams of becoming a cowgirl someday, but her immediate goal is winning her school's Spirit Week. The two winners from each grade get VIP tickets to their Texas town's fall festival, and Mya and her new best friend, Naomi, have their eyes on the prize. But when Mya is paired with class bully Connie and doesn't push to swap partners, it drives a wedge between the two girls. Mya's warm, loving family runs a farm and ranch store where Mya and her older brother, Nugget, help out. Like Mya, Nugget is struggling with friend troubles--in his case, wanting to become more popular. While Mya's journey toward discovering what real friendship looks like is fairly conventional, Allen (The Laura Line) has created a big-hearted, high-spirited, cowboy-booted heroine ("The yippee is back in my ki-yay," she thinks as things begin to look up). The story's vivid small-town setting and memorable characters will have many readers looking forward to more from Mya. Ages 8-12. Agent: Jennifer Rofe, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Jan.)

Copyright 2015 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Gr 4-7—Fourth grader Mya is very excited about Spirit Week, since she and her best friend, pageant-winning Naomi, plan to win VIP tickets to the Fall Festival by showing the most spirit. When Mya is paired instead with "Mean" Connie and doesn't insist on changing partners, Naomi breaks off their friendship, calls Mya names, and vows to win the tickets herself. Mya is a quirky character who throws tall tales into conversations and often finds herself in trouble. Her initial reluctance in working with Connie is realistic, as is their eventual friendship, but Naomi's actions, especially in a past incident involving Connie, are at a level of meanness that seems much older than fourth grade. Mya's family is wonderful: her pregnant mother is very supportive, her father has Mya help at his business, and her brother suffers through his own friend issues. The Texas setting will be intriguing for readers in other parts of the country, although a bit more explanation about Mya's school would have been helpful in setting the scene. Mya is African American, and her classmates are realistically diverse. This series starter is ideal for readers who have matured past Sharon Draper's "Sassy" (Scholastic) or Anica Mrose Rissi's "Anna, Banana" (S. & S.) and are enjoying Leslie Margolis's Boys Are Dogs (Bloomsbury, 2008) or Lauren Myracle's Ten (Dutton, 2011). VERDICT The length, school activities, and emotional content seem more appropriate to middle school, so this novel will appeal to sophisticated elementary students.—Karen Yingling, Blendon Middle School

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Spunky, sweet hearted, and full of fun, Mya will have readers everywhere yelling 'Yee-haw'!—Varian Johnson, author of The Great Greene Heist