THE MANY FORTUNES OF MAYA

A Black girl learns to listen to her own voice.

Maya Jenkins is a Black middle schooler living in Georgia who enjoys soccer, collecting fortune-cookie fortunes, and playing her flute. She’s good at soccer and works hard to keep improving her game, but a major motivation is how much her father loves the game and encourages her success. Although music makes her heart happy, Maya, feeling she must choose between the two activities due to time pressures, settles on soccer—although she continues to play her flute in secret. Now she’s ready to take on soccer camp and get one step closer to making the team her father used to play for. But the summer brings plenty of changes, and Maya finds herself spiraling as her world is upended when her soccer plans go off course, and her parents make a decision that devastates her. As challenges mount, will Maya be able to keep her head in the game? Collier masterfully delivers a multidimensional protagonist with a clear and relatable voice. Maya’s story includes heartbreak, healing, and explorations of strained friendships and familial relationships with moments of fun and joy interspersed. Each chapter opens with a fortune-cookie aphorism that highlights the emotional themes that are developed. Maya’s journey as she learns to adjust to life’s curveballs and listen to her inner truth will keep readers hooked from start to finish.

A sincere story that will leave readers feeling warm and hopeful.