The Many Fortunes of Maya
-
- $9.99
-
- $9.99
Publisher Description
Read by Tony-winning actress Anika Noni Rose, voice of Princess Tiana in Disney's The Princess and the Frog.
In this lyrical novel that will appeal to fans of Meg Medina, Maya turns to her trusty "wheel of fortunes" for guidance on the toughest questions—like why her best friend suddenly feels far away, or when her daddy will move back home. But can Maya find the courage to write her own fortune?
Maya J. Jenkins is bursting with questions:
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?
For answers and a dose of good luck, twelve-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?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Georgia, Black middle schooler Maya "MJ" Jenkins is a lot of things—a flautist, a soccer player, and a collector of fortune-cookie fortunes. Feeling that she had to choose between the instrument and the sport, MJ chose soccer ("Daddy's favorite thing"). But she continues to secretly play the flute in her closet, employing what she calls "Quiet Mode" to engage with the music that centers her. She also regularly consults the Wheel of Fortunes her family made from fortune-cookie slips, spinning it for insight into life events. Most immediately, MJ hopes to be named her soccer season's MVP, which would bring her closer to joining the club team on which her father once played. When MJ's best friend wins instead, their bond takes a turn for the worse—just as her parents, who've been "whisper-fighting" for months, break the news that they're separating for the summer. Beginning each chapter with a fortune, Collier (Just Right Jillian) delivers another immersive novel, and its emotionally tinged first-person voice offers fresh observations about parental tensions and changing friendship dynamics. Ages 8–12.
