The Oregon Reader's Choice Award is one given out to the book voted best of the year in three age categories, much like OBOB. Unlike OBOB, ORCA books are chosen by readers, young and old, who must read at least two of the ORCA books in any age category before voting for their favorite (or the best book!). It's another Oregon reading promotion program, like OBOB, but doesn't require teams or competition to participate.
There are 8 books in this season's ORCA list for middle school, and Maya and the Rising Dark is one of them. Author Barron tells the story of Maya, a young girl living in Chicago who starts to see weird beings around her town - werehyenas, for example. She quickly finds herself trying to survive, and eventually save her father, from the collision of two worlds - hers, and the Dark. Similar to a Percy Jackson adventure, or any of the newer adventure stories on Rick Riordan Presents label, Barron creates an adventure-filled story that ties African mythology to the modern day.
Unfortunately, it didn't work very well for me. I don't want to say the same would happen for you, because this book gets really good reviews all over. But I have to admit I found the writing a little inexperienced, meaning the story idea was solid, but the writing at times jumped without offering enough details about why it was jumping, or where, or tying it to the overall story in a satisfying way. I don't want to give you the impression that you shouldn't read this, and that you will probably enjoy it. It's not that I didn't enjoy it - I did. Just not a lot, and not as much compared to some of the other titles I mentioned. I imagine author Barron getting better with more writing, but for this one, a middling 3 paws is all I can offer. This book is okay, but there are stronger books you could read.
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