Heroes of the water monster

In this sequel to Healer of the Water Monster (rev. 7/21), Nathan and his mother and Edward and his father have moved in together. Both boys can see Holy Beings from traditional Dine stories, such as playful Dew and powerful Yitoo, water monsters from the first book. Now that Nathan is entering puberty, he will soon lose his ability to see them, and before that happens, he needs to travel to the Third World to ask Yitoo to mentor Dew. She agrees, but upon her return to the Fourth World (this world), Yitoo finds that her water is being diverted from sacred Navajo lland to be used for private swimming pools and water parks. She vows to take her water back and return it to its rightful owners, but her methods would destroy many cities and communities. Navajo author Young interweaves the atrocities of the Long Walk, Navajo traditional beliefs, and modern issues of climate change and water consumption in an action-filled adventure featuring two appealing Indigenous protagonists. Young readers are faced with big questions about identity, justice, and inherited trauma. An author's note and glossary add further context. (c) Copyright 2024. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Before he ages out of seeing Holy Beings, Nathan must find water monster Dew a mentor. A couple of years after the events of Healer of the Water Monster (2021), Nathan's life in Phoenix, Arizona, is changing--he and his mother, Janet, are moving in with Janet's boyfriend and his son, the book's co-protagonist, Edward. More than that, Nathan's going through puberty and knows his time with Dew is limited--her new guardian will be Edward. But to ensure that Dew learns the water monster songs, she needs a mentor. Nathan wants it to be powerful water monster Yitoo Bi'aanii, who eagerly returns to the Fourth World. Upon seeing how her river has dwindled, Yitoo declares that an Enemy is stealing the water. The quest to thwart the Enemy is quickly complicated as the stakes rise and the heroes face conflicting loyalties. The environmentalist narrative embraces nuance and complications, avoiding easy answers without undermining the possibility of a hopeful future. Edward, newly informed of his Diné family's brutal relocation era story, also struggles with inherited trauma, while Yitoo, who was witness to the violence, carries the atrocities with her. Additionally, Edward grapples with the fact that his late mother was White and with being the only household member who is not fully Diné. The bittersweet ending is as beautiful as the prose describing the fantastical journey to get there. Thought-provoking and full of heart; a genuinely pleasurable read. (author's note, glossary, note from Cynthia Leitich Smith) (Fiction. 10-14) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.