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Eat. Dance. Fight.
This is the life of the girls who compete in the Isle's elite, all-female fighting sport of Bowing. But it isn't really Dirt's life anymore. At sixteen, she is old and has retired from competition. Instead, she spends her days coaching the younger sisters of the Mud Fam and dreading her fast-approaching birthday, when she'll have to leave her sisters to fulfill whatever destiny the Gods choose for her.
Dirt's young sisters are coming along nicely, and the Mud Fam is sure to win the upcoming South God Bow tournament, which is crucial: the tiny Fam needs the new recruits that come with victory. Then an attack from a powerful rival leaves the Mud without their top Bower, and Dirt is the only one who can compete in the tournament. But Dirt is old, out of shape, and afraid. She has never wanted to be a leader. Victory seems impossible—yet defeat would mean the end of her beloved Fam. And no way is Dirt going to let that happen.
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Creators
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Series
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Publisher
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Release date
February 7, 2023 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781797153797
- File size: 332152 KB
- Duration: 11:31:58
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Languages
- English
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Levels
- Lexile® Measure: 780
- Text Difficulty: 3-4
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Reviews
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Starred review from January 9, 2023
In a fantasy world with a West Africa–inspired setting, teen girls must participate in an ancient martial art competition to protect their found families. Sixteen-year-old Dirt, part of the Mud Fam, is retired from the all-female fighting sport of Bowing. Now, she trains her younger Mud Fam sisters and supports their main fighter, Webba. A victory at the upcoming South God Bow tournament is crucial to helping them gain new recruits, as their dwindling numbers may lead to disbandment, especially with Dirt’s 17th birthday drawing near, after which she will transition into womanhood and be expected to leave her sisters behind for an adult compound. When Webba is injured following a violent attack by rival the Vine Fam, Dirt is forced to fight in her stead. Believing that war with the Gods is imminent, the Vine Fam intends to destroy Dirt’s family to gain all the new recruits for themselves. With the Mud Fam’s lives on the line, Dirt must train her body back into shape and endeavor to eradicate her debilitating self-doubt. Utomi weaves a tender depiction of girlhood and sisterhood via a cast of tenacious and complexly characterized Black girls. Employing abundant pidgin language, dynamic action, and intense interpersonal rifts, Utomi crafts an absorbing, striking debut. Ages 12–up.
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