Childrens realistic fiction. Mya Tibbs has come across my mind several times since I listened to the first book in the series, which was 9 months ago. She is such a unique character-- a young black girl who unabashedly loves cowgirl culture. She's very genuine and loves with her whole heart. In this story, her class is participating in the Hall of Fame Game-- a memory contest where you are given three trivia question and asked the answer the next day. Each day it gets harder, so on Friday she has 3 questions with 5 answers each. Mya at first doesn't want to participate because it sounds like more studying, but her continued rivalry with Naomi leads her to sign up. As she learns the trivia answers, she becomes fascinated with the information, and discovers some other reasons to excel besides beating Naomi.
Meanwhile, at home, her mother is getting closer and closer to "downloading" her baby sister. Her mother is low on time and energy, and Mya is feeling neglected and resentful of her future sister. Her brother Nugget is suffering through resentment on his own, thinking their father doesn't believe in him. While the children take matters into their own hands, they are eventually able to open up to their parents and see their good intentions.
The relationships are the true strength in this series. From Mya's relationships with her family, to her friends in her classroom, to various people in the school and community-- connecting with others is very important for these characters. Another great entry in this early middle grade series. I have already started the last book in the series and will be sad to say goodbye to Mya tibbs.