KAYA MORGAN'S CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT

A rising seventh grader in Atlanta makes a bid to be the first Black Renaissance Faire queen.

Kaya Morgan has been visiting the Renaissance Faire since she was 4. Daddy supported her dream of someday becoming Queen Kaya, but he died two years ago. Kaya has decided to participate in the Faire’s Apprentice Camp with her friend Tyler, but Mama and Kev, Kaya’s brother, don’t really like the Faire, and they’re worried that she may not be treated equitably. Kaya’s plans to become queen hit a snag when the program director, Zach, assigns her the role of court jester. She’s disheartened until she learns about her father’s experiences at the Faire from Uncle Paul, her godfather. He encourages her but warns her that before becoming an archer, Daddy was a jester, too, and she might face a fight to achieve her dreams in this mostly white space. Kaya is determined, but she unwittingly becomes part of an exploitative diversity marketing campaign for the Faire, and her sudden visibility puts her at odds with the other campers. Ultimately, Kaya learns that being queen is about building good relationships and that she can summon the courage to define and be herself in a system that’s designed to encourage homogeneity, messages that will resonate with many readers. The gaslighting and microaggressions Kaya experiences are nuanced and compelling. Japanese American Tyler experiences his own race-related challenges.

An original, insightful tale about reimagining old stories and expanding previously homogeneous spaces.