Shaun Taylor-Corbett's narration breathes life into this Navajo fantasy. Summer with grandmother and Uncle Jet on the Navajo reservation lacks many creature comforts for Nathan. To fill his time, he wanders into the nearby desert, where he finds a sickly water monster and then goes on a quest to obtain a cure for the Holy Being and, perhaps, his Uncle Jet. Taylor-Corbett dives into this audiobook with aplomb. Each chapter opens with the chapter number spoken in Navajo and English; pronunciation of Navajo words and phrases in the story is authentic. Skillful character voicings make each easily identified. Excellent use of pacing and tension adds drama, particularly when Nathan faces “the five obstacles.” Notes from the author and editor are included. An amazing experience of Navajo culture and life. S.D.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

★ 03/08/2021

This excellently wrought middle grade debut by Young (who is Diné/Navajo) centers 11-year-old Nathan Todacheenie, a Diné boy who, seeking to escape a vacation with his father and his father’s girlfriend, ends up in a world of tradition and magic. At book’s start, Nathan is being dropped off with his shinálí, called Nali for short; though there’s no running water or electricity, her mobile home is on his beloved Dinetah/Diné homelands. Though Nathan doesn’t look forward to a summer of chopping wood and zero phone reception, he does adore Nali, who has worked for years to keep her allotment of land and her traditions. When Nathan wanders into the desert in pursuit of the otherworldly horned toad who’s filching corn seeds from Nathan’s school experiment, he ends up on a quest to enter the Third World and save the Water Monster, a Holy Being that has been poisoned by radiation, as well as his uncle Jet, who has returned from military service in desperate need of a traditional ceremony that he doesn’t want. Gentle, complex characters and flawed, loving human relationships lend depth to Young’s worlds-spanning novel. Ages 8–12. Agent: Dan Mandel, Sanford J. Greenburger Assoc. (May)

"Gentle, complex characters and flawed, loving human relationships lend depth to Young’s worlds-spanning novel." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"The deeply grounded and original perspective of this story brings readers into both the worlds of Navajo blessing songs, rain songs, and traditional healing and everyday family relationships. Hands readers a meaningful new take on family love." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Young’s narrative weaves traditional folklore, language, and mythos with modern emotion to craft a poignant tale of family, friendship, and protecting what you love most." — Booklist

"Visibility is of utmost importance, and books like this one deserve warm spotlights, everywhere." — American Indians in Children's Literature

"Young’s narrative weaves traditional folklore, language, and mythos with modern emotion to craft a poignant tale of family, friendship, and protecting what you love most."

"Visibility is of utmost importance, and books like this one deserve warm spotlights, everywhere."

"Young’s narrative weaves traditional folklore, language, and mythos with modern emotion to craft a poignant tale of family, friendship, and protecting what you love most."

"Visibility is of utmost importance, and books like this one deserve warm spotlights, everywhere."

Shaun Taylor-Corbett's narration breathes life into this Navajo fantasy. Summer with grandmother and Uncle Jet on the Navajo reservation lacks many creature comforts for Nathan. To fill his time, he wanders into the nearby desert, where he finds a sickly water monster and then goes on a quest to obtain a cure for the Holy Being and, perhaps, his Uncle Jet. Taylor-Corbett dives into this audiobook with aplomb. Each chapter opens with the chapter number spoken in Navajo and English; pronunciation of Navajo words and phrases in the story is authentic. Skillful character voicings make each easily identified. Excellent use of pacing and tension adds drama, particularly when Nathan faces “the five obstacles.” Notes from the author and editor are included. An amazing experience of Navajo culture and life. S.D.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

★ 2021-03-25
Nathan, a young Navajo boy from Phoenix, Arizona, goes on an epic hero’s journey.

On the surface, 11-year-old Nathan is like many other boys. His parents are divorced, and he’s a little upset with his father. His paternal grandmother, Nali, is supportive, and he’s eager to spend the summer with her on the Navajo reservation in New Mexico, working on his science fair project. Nathan moves into her rural home, expecting a quiet summer. Instead, he has the adventure of a lifetime when he discovers something is eating Nali’s heirloom seeds. Wandering into the desert, he encounters Pond, an ailing water monster. Adults cannot see Holy Beings from the creation stories, but as a child, Nathan can; with the help of a communication stone, he enters a world of Navajo cosmology. He brings a message to his grandmother about the Enemy Way and helps his Uncle Jet, a traumatized Marine veteran skeptical about his family’s traditional ways, who is haunted by the shadow voice of an Ash Being. Healing—for the earth, the water monster, and Uncle Jet—is on the line as Nathan travels to the Third World to meet the most sacred Holy Being of all. The deeply grounded and original perspective of this story brings readers into both the worlds of Navajo blessing songs, rain songs, and traditional healing and everyday family relationships.

Hands readers a meaningful new take on family love. (glossary, author’s note) (Fiction. 10-14)