The Many Fortunes of Maya by Nicole D. Collier
ISBN: 0358434645
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction, Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads

12-year-old Maya Jenkins is determined to get recruited to the Chargers soccer team–the elite team her dad was a part of during his youth.  She also is secretly still practicing her flute because while she loves it, she doesn’t believe she can focus fully on soccer if she gives her music the attention she’d like to. Add in her parent’s separation, her now strained relationship with her best friend and swimming lessons, and this summer is not turning out the way Maya was hoping.  Using her wheel of fortunes as a compass, Maya tries to navigate the muddy waters of being true to herself under the weight of others’ dreams.

Maya’s struggle to remain loyal to her parents while trying to decide where her true interests lie will be relatable to many middle-grade readers. Surely grappling with parents on the brink of divorce will be familiar territory as well. Her emotional turmoil is honest and each problem is resolved realistically even if predictably. Each chapter is tagged with one of Maya’s collected fortunes which adds an interesting plot device as the story moves along. 

Recommended for Cream of the Crop

Kerrie Lattari, York Middle School, York