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Meet Kaya (American Girl: Kaya #1) by Janet Beeler Shaw

 

Summary (from the publisher): It's hard for Kaya not to boast about her beautiful, spirited Appaloosa mare, Steps High. Kaya wants to be one of the very best horsewomen in the village. But when boasting leads to a daring bareback race, Kaya puts both herself and her horse in danger. And she also endangers her little twin brothers, who've wandered off into the woods during Kaya's race. Although Kaya finds the boys unharmed, she still must face punishment. All her friends must, too, since one person's actions affect the safety of the whole village. Kaya's mistakes earn her a terrible nickname--will she ever be able to lose it?

Review: I didn't read Kaya's books growing up, as they came out when I was in middle school so I little too late for me. I was excited to read these with my children and loved the indigenous representation in Kaya. My kids were interested very curious about the fact that Kaya not only has an adopted sister, but she is blind and had a lot of questions about her, as well as the different native words and differences in lifestyle Kaya has. 

The beginning of this book felt a little slow. I do think this is largely because the author had to set the scene for Kaya and her family but also her whole community and culture, which is likely a new experience for most young readers. The book did pick up the pace a good bit in the later chapters. My children were especially curious about the practice of the whipwoman, who would be charged with switching all the children when one misbehaved, to emphasize there are consequences for all even when one makes a bad decision. 

As always, I loved the peek into the past section of this book, which gives historical context and details that help explain the book. It was interesting hearing how horses would have been a relatively recent introduction to Kaya's world, which is shown in the story as her grandmother talks about not having them when she was younger. I'm excited to continue this series and think it's been such a great opportunity to talk about native peoples and different cultures and languages with my kids. 

Stars: 4

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