Kaya Morgan's Crowning Achievement

by Jill Tew

A heartwarming middle-grade novel about one girl’s unforgettable summer at the Renaissance Faire, breaking down the barriers all around her and remaining true to herself—even in cosplay.

For as long as she can remember, Kaya Morgan has spent her summers with her dad at the greatest place on earth: the Renaissance Faire. Full of performers cosplaying as thieving pirates, enchanting fairies, and courageous heroes, the Ren Faire has always been a place where anyone can be anything they want to be. It’s a place for dreaming, and that includes Kaya and her dad’s dream of Kaya someday being named the first Black Queen of the Faire.

Then Kaya’s dad gets sick, and passes away. Kaya’s devastated, but she refuses to let his dream die with him. She enrolls at the Faire’s summer camp, determined to become the camp’s junior Queen. But when the role is given to the pretty and blond Jessie, the only spot left for Kaya is the juggling Court Jester—not exactly regal!

It's bad enough that it’s another summer at the Ren Faire without her dad, and that Kaya’s family thinks her love of medieval times is weird. But with everyone around her determined to put her in a role she doesn’t want to be in, Kaya must decide whether to hold on to her old dreams no matter what, or realize that it’s okay for new dreams to become reality.

Genres: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, African American, Childrens, Activism, Grief

288 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2025

About the author

Jill Tew is the critically-acclaimed author of dystopian romance and middle grade novels that imagine Black girls in exciting new worlds. Her debut novel The Dividing Sky (2024) was a Top 10 Kids Indie Next Pick, and was selected by Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Bookshop.org, and Reactor Magazine as one of the Best Young Adult Books of the Year. Her middle grade debut Kaya Morgan’s Crowning Achievement will be available in April 2025.

A graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Jill lives in Atlanta with her family. She is also a co-host of the Afronauts Podcast, which provides writing tips and community for Black aspiring speculative fiction writers. When not writing, she can be found stress baking, gardening, or belting showtunes in the carpool line.

Reviews

[Melissa Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m so glad that I was able to read an ARC of this book, because it was AMAZING! It was so much fun to read about the renaissance fair through the eyes of a kid, as someone who grew up a fantasy nerd but only recently attended her first ren faire. Not only that, but the voices and dialogue in this book are so distinct and natural in a way that’s really difficult to pull off, especially with kid characters. And the way Tew wrote about grief? OOF I cried at least three times reading this and it was worth every tear.
AND besides being an extremely fun and engaging read, this book was such a love letter to nerdiness and fantasy, while also taking the fantasy fan community to task for the way so many of its members try to typecast people in a place meant for limitless imagination. I’ll definitely be ordering this for my library, and recommending it to every little nerd I meet!

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jill Tew's new middle grade novel is a delight for all ages, but especially for us Renn Faire nerds! Kaya LOVES the Renaissance Faire. But she's missed the last several years after her dad passed away because it was something they shared. But now there's a new kid's camp to train apprentices and Kaya is determined to be queen. But when Kaya is appointed as Jester, she's beyond disappointed. Now it's up to her to decide what she's going to do: make the best of her role or fight for what she wants? Or maybe both?

So if you've been paying attention, you know I don't read a lot of Middle Grade. But I had to do these reviews for an online magazine for a while, so I was seeking out kid's books by Georgia authors. Once I finally got on track with that, the person with the magazine ghosted me, but I had these books downloaded, so I figured I'd give them a shot. I'm certainly glad I did with this one. I've been to the Georgia Renaissance Festival countless times over the years, so it was fun to imagine that setting with this book. The writing here also felt...older? while still being safe appropriate. What I don't usually like about Middle Grade and below is that the language just feels (and rightly so) a lot more simple. However, this was fantastic. The story was great and I'll definitely look for more from this author.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC Provided by Netgalley.com

Kaya is very excited to be attending a Renaissance fair two week camp near her home in Georgia. When her father was alive, he would work at the fair as the lead archer, but since his death, Kaya has missed the event. Her fondest dream is to earn the role of Queen, and knows that this would make her father proud, since he always supported her, buying her princess dresses from the time she was young. Her mother is a bit harried, having to work double shifts as a nurse and take care of Kaya and well as her older brother, Kev. Jr., who is starting college in the fall, so doesn't have time to give Kaya the proper regal hairdo. Her friend Tyler Nomura is going as well, and hopes to be a knight. When Tyler and Kaya get to camp, they are a little worried that the only other participants are from a fancy private school, and when blonde Jessie is crowned queen for the first week, it adds insult to injury that Kaya is training to be a jester. It's not that she hates working with Barry, who knew her father, and it is interesting that Kaya's father started out as a jester as well. It's just not Kaya's dream, even though she is quite good in the role. She fights a bit with Jessie and her friend Wren, although Jessie seems nice. For the second week, Kaya does get to intern with the queen, and puts her own spin on things by including a bit of archery with her skit. At the final showcase, the camp director brings in board members, and the children find out that unless the board provides more monetary support, there won't be another camp. The racist behavior of the camp director, who tells Kaya that she's just not "suited" to the role, brings out details about the difficulties her father had being accepted by the others in the fair, and makes Kev, Jr. angry. WHen the director tries to use a video of Kaya to promote diversity at the camp even though there really isn't any, Kaya knows she needs to do something. Kaya works with Tyler, as well as Jessie and the others, to show the world that the Renaissance fair should be more inclusive.
Strengths: I think Kaya would get along quite well with Allen's Mya Tibbs. Both girls know exactly what they want, and aren't afraid to stand up for themselves in order to get it. In doing so, they sometimes rub other people the wrong way. Jessie and her friends ended up being fairly nice and helpful, but Kaya's reaction to them caused them to include Tyler in some of their plans but not Kaya. The family's interest in "geeky" pursuits, and the prejudice they face because of them, will resonate especially with the Black nerd community who are starting to get some attention in books like Baptiste's Boy 2.0. I especially liked the details about archery, juggling, and Kaya's hair dos.
Weaknesses: While the director's behavior near the end of the book is certainly inexcusably racist, when Kaya was first chosen as jester, she didn't seem to have any real reason to be upset, other than she wanted the part and didn't get it. When she turned out to be very good at the role, I thought this would take a turn ala 1950s teen romances where dreams are dashed, but better dreams emerge.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed Jamieson's All's Faire in Middle School but want to see more knights and princesses of color. I can't think of any other middle grade books that include this cultural phenomenon. While I certainly had lots of friends who were involved in this (which is why I know all about how to care for homemade chain mail), my students haven't picked up All's Faire in Middle School frequently, even though it's a graphic novel.

[Bri Reader of Arcs · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Faire's not Disney World; it's something better: a magical place grounded in the real world. The enchantment is only there because everyone believes, together."

Summary: Kaya Morgan is a twelve year old girl who lives and breathes the Ren Faire. She has been an attendant since before she can remember, and the one person who made that place come alive, her daddy, had passed on two years prior. Now her special space is now tied to the memories of her father and remembering that he is no longer here to make the place as special. With encouragement from her uncle, she enrolls in the Faire's summer program with the hopes of making her daddy's and her dream come true. She wants to be the first Black Queen of the faire someday. This is tricky, as posed by some family and others, because there has never been a black queen. It is also challenging because her first week at the program, she is enlisted to be the Jester!
Between those who find her love of the fantasy as strange, a rivalry between the girl who has been chosen Junior Queen and her snippy best friend, as well as those who place Kaya into a role where she does not want to be, Kaya struggles to find herself within the expectations of others. Within this program, she realizes that, there is no one way to be anything while at the faire, because it is a place where make believe becomes reality.

Thoughts: I adored this book. It felt like the hug that I wanted as a kid who was the weird fantasy loving military child who needed a place like the ren faire. I was tall, stuck out because of it, and I was/am black. Kaya was relatable, her dreams something that I never knew I needed as a kid, and something that I dream about as an adult who also loves the Ren Faire. This book is fantasy grounded in reality just like the faire. I encourage everyone who can read this book and attend the ren faire to do so, especially as an adult. You never know what magic you still need, and your inner child will thrive between the pages of this book.
Thank you Jill Tew for gifting me this arc! I loved your book!

[Mary Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Middle grade books about spunky girls, and Kaya Morgan has spunkiness in spades! While I enjoyed this novel, I found Kaya to be a bit annoying and the story to be too simplistic.

Kaya is excited to be going to apprenticeship camp at the local Renaissance Faire. Her father used to work there as an archer and he used to take her there every summer. He died a couple of years ago, and she isn't sure if she'll be able to handle being at one of the places he lived the most. But she has to try, because he always says that one day she would be the queen of the Faire. This apprenticeship camp means she'll get her chance to be queen for the weekend! But the other kids might have something to say about that, as well as the director, who has his own ideas of which role the kids should play.

Kaya calls herself a nerdy Black girl, which I love. She points out that diversity in Renaissance Faire World is still greatly lacking, but maybe she can change that. I loved learning about the different roles at Ren Faires, and how the actors are a big family. Racism is always a shock, even when you expect it, and there are some people in this book who say and do racist things. The author does a great job of having Kaya confront the racism and do something positive to counteract it.

However, I didn't like Kaya at times when reading this book. Is hard to understand why she is so stuck on being queen, and why she is such a bad friend! She does grow throughout the novel.

Overall, this is an enjoyable book, and those nerdy kids will really identify with Kaya.

[The Keepers of the Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kaya Morgan is going into 8th grade. She is still reeling from her father’s death. To honor her father’s memory, she wants to spend the summer at the Renaissance fair her and her father used to go to together. She wants to fulfill her and her father’s dream for her of being queen. Things, however, don’t go as planned. She gets apprenticed as the court jester, she doesn’t get along that well with the girls, and she has to deal with a lot of racism. She’s disheartened and about to give up when she learns from her uncle that her dad started out as a jester. He only later became an archer. Determined to make her and her father’s dream come true, she ends up getting exploited by a diversity campaign for the fair Will Kaya make her dreams come true or will she realize something else is more important?

The plot is well written, realistic, and easy to relate to. The characters are authentic, well rounded, and believable. Themes of racism and dreams coming true are strong, but don’t overwhelm the plot. Readers who like Renaissance fairs, realistic fiction, and books dealing with grief will want to pick this one up. Recommended for most middle grade library collections.

Please Note: A copy of this book was given in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are our own. No other compensation was received.

[Donna Metler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recieved a free eARC of this book. Thank you for the opportunity to read it!

Kaya's father was the lead archer for the Rennaisance Fair before his death, and it was always Kaya's special place. Now, as a middle schooler, she has a chance to do apprentice camp, and finally have a chance of fulfilling her dreams of being the queen of the fair, which she and her father always dreamed of. But, will Kaya get that chance?

The Freedom Fire series is wonderful. Disney/Hyperion has really done a great job of elevating Black voices and providing books that will allow Black kids to see themselves, and non-BIPOC kids to see the struggles their classmates and friends face. Kaya's struggles to be seen as the queen, and the willingness of the fair director to use Kaya's grief and skin color in an effort to make the faie seem more diverse while typecasting his BIPOC interns rings true. And the triumph is well earned and justified.

This book deserves a place in schools, community libraries, and book fairs.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kaya Morgan's Crowning Achievement, by Jill Tew differs from the other 3 Freedom Fire books that I got for my 35th birthday. (Moko Magic: Carnival Chaos, by Tracey Baptiste; Jax Freeman and the Phantom Shriek, by Kwame Mbalia and Black Girl Power, by Leah Johnson.) First off, it was actually published in this year, 2025. The other books were all published last year, 2024. Secondly, Kaya Morgan's Crowning Achievement is completely contemporary. Yes, Carnival Chaos, and Jax Feeman took place in modern times, with fantastical elements. The same was true for some the stories in Black Girl Power. I know cover makes it look like takes place during the Renaissance. But it's actually about a young girl who wants to become the first Black Queen at her local Renaissance Faire. And you may have noticed that I rated this book 5 stars, but only rated the previous Freedom Fire books 4 stars. Some parts were super funny. Others were more dramatic Luckily, there's a happy ending. And on the whole, it was an excellent book that I totally adored!

[Larissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Kaya’s journey in this book. Having the faire mean so much to her not only because it connects her to her father whom she recently lost, but also having it be something that filled her childhood with such joy just makes me happy. I also love how she challenges the views that the camp has on being inclusive and her journey to realize that while the camp was using images of her, they were not using them in a way that drew other people in her community to the faire or making them feel like they belonged at the faire too. Fantasy and the faire should be for everyone, it should be a place where people of all cultures can come together and enjoy being a part of the fantasy without worrying about being historically accurate. It is also a place where you should be able to show your talents and do so in a way that brings you joy.
Thank you to Disney Publishing Worldwide for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kaya's ambition to be the Queen of her local Renaissance Faire stems from the joy she took from going to the Faire with her father when he was alive. Now that he's gone, this dream takes on a life of its own, leaving Kaya struggling to navigate this desperate want with many conflicting realities.

I really appreciated how the author pulls in grief and friendship struggles, alongside the dilemma of how and when to speak up for what you want as well as what's right. It's not easy to navigate conflicting feelings, and this story does a pretty good job at showing how those difficulties can be tackled. There are some nice points about the perniciousness of using someone for their diversity only when it's convenient, and also some recognition that prejudice doesn't always wear a mean or obviously racist face.

Overall this was a fun story that celebrated the power of imagination and not being limited by either tradition or narrow-minded thinking.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll admit this book surprised me. At first it was rather distressingly light in terms of goals. Since I never was into makeup and traditional girlie stuff, I found Kaya’s obsession with being the queen of the renaissance faire (ren faire for short) problematic. But then it smoothly switched to being about standing up for the goals you really want in spite of the racist attitude of the camp director. He couldn’t see allowing a Black girl to be queen, even though she was the only one who wanted the role. He put in a White girl who really wanted to be a madrigal singer instead as queen. And he wanted to make the Asian boy a stereotypical Japanese scribe which really doesn’t fit anywhere in Merrie olde England! The kids rebel! But they used their heads and got adult help and will they pull it off? Read to find out, but they did succeed in showing racism is still all too alive in some fields especially apparently in ren faires. Nicely done! 3.5 stars.

[Glenna Coleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kaya has wanted to be Queen of the summer Renaissance Faire since her father first started bringing her at age 4. Her dad, who passed away two years before, was an archer in the weekend shows. Now Kaya, thanks to a family friend, has the opportunity to spend two weeks at Faire camp, with the opportunity to train to be queen. Unfortunately, the camp director and faire manager is quite hidebound, and casts Kaya as jester instead. Kaya struggles to balance her desire to be queen with friendships and the director's bid to make her the face of the Faire in an effort to promote diversity on social media with his refusal to let a Black girl be queen. How Kaya and other campers as well as performers at the Faire fight to be heard and seen in their true shapes and colors is a fun story that also examines the complexity of navigating others' expectations and perceptions of blackness while staying true to one's own dreams.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free review copy of this book.
The Ren Faire setting was very cool! I've been to a few, and it really captured the vibe well. There's some inaccuracies in the glassblowing scene, based on the demos I've attended - you only need a puff of air to "blow" glass, not a full breath, and the piece needs to cool slowly for several hours in a special oven before it can be handled - but overall, it wasn't important. The main idea of being a Black person in an imagined recreation of Europe, in which modern people like to ignore the fact that Black people were also already present - I think it comes through well. If you study history, you learn that anyone can take on any role, so why not choose your own!

[Jeni Enjaian · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Actual rating: 3.5 stars)
This book felt unfortunately mid to me. The main character, Kaya, has the opportunity to participate in a two week camp leading up to the annual Renaissance Fair. She has always dreamed of performing as the queen after her father - a performer in the archery troop - declared that she would. This summer, however, marks the second summer where her father will not perform having passed away a year and a half prior. This should provide plenty of fodder for the author to dig deep yet she never manages to even break out the shovel. Obstacles do emerge in Kaya's path but she solves them so quickly that she lacks the opportunity to grow from the experience. I wish I could recommend the book but, alas, I cannot.

[Tracie · Rating 4 out of 5]

12-year-old Kaya Morgan is thrilled to enroll in the North Georgia Renaissance Fair's Apprentice Camp and finally claim the role she was born for: queen. But when she's cast as Court Jester while simultaneously exalted on social media as "the face of the fair" by administrators eager to cash in on her diversity to keep the camp running, Kaya begins to understand the unspoken real-world biases that govern the fair's make-believe world--and, with help from a few friends, finds a way to confront them.

A lovely voice propels an authentic coming-of-age story that empowers black girls to be themselves and build the world they want to rule.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read as an uncorrected proof, Jill Tew's J-fiction debut is delightful, funny and despite themes of racial tokenism, fondly relatable even to a middle-aged white guy. I highly enjoyed the take-no-prisoners protagonist, the Ren Fair shenanigans and the exciting conclusion. It manages to find pieces of true emotion between the sly jokes and unending puns, juggling the character growth, humor and more serious themes with care and precision.
If I have a big complaint, it's that Kaya is often too slick- too quick with a culture reference or comeback that doesn't feel accurate for the age group. But, for me at least, it's easy to look past and worth it for the fun of the fair.

[Chrissy · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is so much happening in Kaya Morgan's Crowning Achievement. Kaya and her family are grieving the loss of her father, while navigating a summer camp frought with highs and lows, friends and foes, and adults with different intentions. It's a lot for a young girl to handle, and at times, could be a lot for a young reader to sort out. While the writing demonstrates the very real confusion of meeting new people and trying to decide if their friendship and kindness are real or fake, it's rather confusing to read as well. But I do appreciate having a book that tackles the hidden and overt prejudices and discrimination present in modern America in a lighter way for younger children.

[Jennybeast · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was pretty good -- I like the themes of embracing inner nerdery, accepting and celebrating diversity, sticking up for yourself when things get rough, and focusing on relationships as well as achievements. I hate that it's a book about the complicated road of grief after the main character loses her dad -- it's realistic in dealing with that, it's just somehow such a common trope in the books I read. I feel like a lot of the resolutions were a bit murky, but that's realistic as well. The characters were great though, and I appreciate how they negotiate the ever present challenges in our world of tokenism, racism and stereotyping.

[Clare Edge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jill Tew does it again! I was lucky enough to be an early reader for this amazing MG novel. Jill Tew remains the funniest author I know (sorry Erin Baldwin), and yes we're friends, and yes, this is biased, but it's a truly exceptional MG debut and I feel very lucky to have read it early. Yes, kids need this book and this rep, but more than that, kids are going to want to read it. It's a flipping BLAST. It may also make you tear up a bit, but that's also a Tew-niverse guarantee.

[Nashae Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is absolute perfection! Kaya reminds me so much of who I was when a I was middle schooler, Black and nerdy, and constantly trying to figure out who I actually was. I adore Ren Faires, and the fact that this novel's setting gives early readers an introduction into Ren Faire life. I'll be gifting this gem of book to all my nieces and nephews.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

EARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Kaya has a unique passion- she loves participating in Renaissance Faires and during a Ren Faire summer camp her primary objective is to be selected as the queen. This middle grade story has its humorous parts but is also serious, as one of the camp leaders wants to keep the performance as it has always been in the past, but Kaya aims to change his mind.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

12 year old Kaya is thrilled to go to Ren Faire camp--her dad worked there every summer before he died, and it was their special thing--but nothing goes the way she wants or expects. I really enjoyed this--the ren faire details, the friendship challenges, the stress and struggle of cooperating, and the "nice" kind of racism that is othering and harder to see. Very engaging characters and writing.

[Christy Healy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughters (7 & 9) could not get enough of Kaya's story -- we read it together within a few days, and they were begging to read it again almost immediately. Kaya is an utterly adorable heroine, and the Renaissance fair setting is enchanting and unique, sure to delight readers of all ages. We love this book so much!!

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kaya Morgan's Crowning Achievement: four stars! I was so excited to see a novel set at a renaissance fair, and Kaya's story definitely captures the fun and magic of these events, while providing a strong message about inclusion vs exploitation. An engaging and valuable addition to the middle grade world.

[Stephanie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heart-warming, and also hilarious! Great themes about being true to oneself and not letting others dictate one’s thinking and behavior. And the Faire is an amusement park I would love to visit (funnel cake fries-yum!)

[Ashley Granillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Read: "I'm trying to embrace the freaking joy," says Kaya Morgan when she isn't crowned queen of the ren fair. A hilarious read filled with sharp quips and an abundance of ren fair whimsy juxtaposed against a harsher truth about racial tokenism.

[Rachel Rauch · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded up! It was INCREDIBLE! Such a wonderful story and such well-written characters! It brought me to tears many times! I only wondered about a few details that don’t get brought back, but that was it! Otherwise loved it!

[George Jreije · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this amazing book! I got my fingers on an advanced copy and couldn't put it down :)

[Nicole R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jill Tew is queen

[rachel x]

"A heartwarming middle-grade novel about one girl’s unforgettable summer at the Renaissance Faire, breaking down the barriers all around her and remaining true to herself—even in cosplay."

sounds super sweet