Intrepids
by Diana Huang
Hi! Do you like to dream that you’re in another world? Well, Katie finds herself in another world – but she’s not dreaming! Katie must go on a quest to save the people of Alpha Centauri and find a way to get home.
Katie Mah is a sixth-grade Chinese girl in a mostly white school. Lots of things that are considered polite in Katie’s culture are considered rude in the American culture. Katie is bullied and, one day, she cannot take it anymore. She is on a field trip and she runs out into the woods to have some time alone. Katie comes across a tree, eats the fruit of the tree, and is transported to another world: Alpha Centauri. She befriends the centaurs and promises to help save them from gowels, who are kidnapping the people of this world and eating them or putting them into slavery. Katie tries her best, but does not know if she will be able to overcome the gowels and get back home.
I wish that the author of this book had talked about Katie being bullied in present tense. Instead, she kept flashing back to moments when she had been bullied in the past. It felt a little disconnected and like the story was jumping back and forth.
I love how Katie stays true to her promise. Even if she finds a way home, she will not leave the centaurs to the gowels. This shows amazing bravery that I wish I possessed.
This book sort of reminded me of the Chronicles of Narnia, in the sense that Katie was discovering a new world just like the Pevensies did. Katie also tries to save the world as the Pevensies did.
Will Katie save this world and find her way home? Or will Alpha Centauri be overcome by the gowels and Katie remain in this world forever? And will she learn anything from her experience and find ways to cope with her life back on earth? As I always say, read the book to find out!
A few helpful things I like to say about the books I read:
“Run and Get Mom” (how I describe the scariness factor – zero being not scary at all and five being majorly scary): 2
“Yucky-Lovey Stuff” (how I describe the romance factor – zero having no yucky-lovey parts in it and five having major yucky-lovey parts): 3
I give this book 5 wands.
This was an AMAZING book! Katie showed bravery, loyalty, kindness, and she stuck with things even when they were hard. Katie was often stuck in very hard situations for a sixth-grader, but she overcame the challenges and grew from them. I especially connected with Katie’s story because I am in the sixth grade right now. That’s why it amazes me how Katie could be so brave!
Source: Review Copy
This book was reviewed as a part of Multicultural Children’s Book Day. Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2021 (1/29/21) is in its 8th year! This non-profit children’s literacy initiative was founded by Valarie Budayr and Mia Wenjen; two diverse book-loving moms who saw a need to shine the spotlight on all of the multicultural books and authors on the market while also working to get those book into the hands of young readers and educators.
Eight years in, MCBD’s mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in homes and school bookshelves continues. Read about our Mission & History HERE.
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