Multicultural Children's Book Day Review
Mystery of the Naga At Night
A Pack-n-Girls Adventure
Written by Lisa Travis
Illustrations by Adam Turner
Published by WorldTrek Publishing, 2019
In their second adventure in Thailand, friends Jess and Nong May, must uncover the mystery of a mythological 7-headed snake, called a naga, that's slithering through the forest at night. With a twist on the familiar Scooby-Doo switcheroo, the solution to this mystery is not what young readers might expect. In this fun adventure, there's plenty of adventure, a great look at international service work, cross-cultural experiences, and the importance of friendship.
On the other hand, there are a few issues with this fun book that may raise some concerns for readers, teachers, and librarians. The writing is a little uneven with some awkward sentences, abrupt time shifts, underdeveloped characters, and essential plot points that occur "off the page." The truth behind the Naga is grounded in social issues within contemporary Vietnam, but the "solution" is not very plausible. Additionally, the girls mysteriously recruit their brothers whenever they face danger and even hold their hands at the most intensive moments which is not very empowering to girls and may send the wrong gender messages to readers.
While many readers will find this to be a fun adventure, there are a few issues that may suggest it might be better to seek out more evenly developed and gender empowering stories. If you're looking for books that immerse children in the cultures of Thailand, consider the work of Minfong Ho set in Thailand like Sing to the Dawn and Hush or Dia's Story Cloth by Dia Cha or Mela and the Elephant. It's always helpful to look at the books selected for the Pacific/Asian American Award for Literature.
This review is part of Multicultural Children's Book Day and done in honor of their mission to "not only raise awareness of the kid's books that celebrate diversity but to get more of these books into classrooms and libraries. To support this mission, you can share their social media posts with the #readyourworld
I'm fully committed to their mission as a teacher and an author, so if you'd like to follow my work, consider checking out my own social media accounts @sylvanocity on FB, Instagram, and Twitter. You can also look at my books on my website www.alafaye.com
I hope you'll support Multicultural Children's Book Day on January 31st and their mission every day by finding, sharing, and supporting books that reflect all aspects of culture.
