The Magnificent Mya Tibbs

October 26, 2015
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 Rofé, Andrea Brown Literary Agency.

November 1, 2015

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.

Starred review from October 15, 2015
Allen deftly explores the evolving friendships of Mya Tibbs as she and her Spirit Week partner compete for VIP tickets to the Fall Festival. Nine-year-old Mya loves cowgirls, the rodeo, and jewelry. The Fall Festival has all her favorite things! She and her new best friend, Naomi, are determined to win the tickets together, but to Mya's dismay, she draws Mean Connie as her Spirit Week partner. Mya is stuck. Can she keep her promise to help Naomi and be a good partner? Even as she writes a very funny story, Allen neither flatters nor vilifies any characters, instead letting each one grow and make mistakes. As Mya tries to make the best of the situation, she learns that Connie isn't so mean, that Naomi isn't so nice, and that she herself can be a better friend. The author showcases different types of friendship throughout the story: as Mya and Naomi fall out, Mya and Connie grow closer; Mya's brother, Nugget, tries to make friends with a jock, taking his nerdy best friend for granted in the process; and twins Starr and Skye find their sisterly bond tested when their loyalties are torn between Mya and Naomi. 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. (Fiction. 8-10)

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December 15, 2015
Grades 3-7 The pitfalls of navigating fourth-grade social dynamics is at the heart of this winning series debut. African American Mya Tibbs loves Spirit Week. She and her new BFF, local pageant queen Naomi Jackson, have plans to be Spirit Week partners and win the VIP tickets to the Fall Festival. But Mya gets paired with the school bully, Mean Connie, and immediately finds herself on the wrong end of Naomi's temper; Naomi uses her social cachet to ostracize Mya. Desperate, Mya walks a tightrope between proving her loyalty to Naomi and winning Spirit Week with Connie, who is not at all as mean as the rumors claim. A subplot involving Mya's brother's attempts to ditch an unwanted nickname complements her discoveries about genuine friendship versus callous manipulation. Allen has created a charming heroine in Mya, who can swing a lasso, use her braids as a calendar, and tell the occasional tall tale. She survives the slings and arrows of Spirit Week with panache, and a happy ending sets up the next book.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)