Heroes of the Water Monster
by Brian Young
Intermediate, Middle School    Heartdrum/HarperCollins    384 pp.
5/23    9780062990433    $19.99
e-book ed.  9780062990457    $10.99

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 Diné 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 land 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.

From the July/August 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.