Marya Khan and The Awesome Adventure Park 

Saadia Faruqi 

Illustrated by Ani Bushry 

Amulet Books 

Available March 26, 2024 

Ages 6-9  

Excited about spring break, Marya, Hanna, and Alexa plan their trip to the most amazing place on the planet, Skye Adventure Park. Spirited third-grader Marya is determined to beat athletic Alexa in the obstacle course at Skye and have her name projected on the leaderboard for all to see. With the help of Baba, Marya researches how to become a major competitor and Operation Super Athlete, with its strict rules, is born. Rule number two states that athletes “practice regularly,” (p. 68) and rule number three asserts that it is important to “eat and sleep well” (p. 68). So, Mama cooks many delicious foods for Marya like protein-filled daal, wheat pancakes, yogurt, and fruit snacks. Marya then invites herself over to her frenemy’s (Alexa) house to train with her and her best friend, Hanna. The trio, but mostly Marya, prepare for the Skye Obstacle Course on ninja steps, a balance beam, a rock wall, and a climbing rope. Marya eagerly awaits competing against her friends at Skye and being crowned the super champion. 

In this playful and lighthearted series, Marya Khan battles her rival, Alexa, just like any competitive third grader. Each tome in the series is a stand-alone about Marya and Alexa competing to have the best birthday party, for example, in book one. The dialogue demonstrates the spunkiness in the well-developed young characters. When Mama announces they’re going to Skye Adventure Park, Alexa squealed, “Oh my god, seriously? That’s awesome!” (p. 48). The four rules about how to be a super athlete are themes in the book and rules of thumb for life. Rule number four is an important lesson, especially for the young readers of the book: “It’s okay to lose sometimes” (p.68). Losing is a crucial life lesson that everyone needs to experience, and as Marya learns, sometimes it is better to work as a team rather than fighting to win. Black and white illustrations complement the fast-paced and entertaining text. At the start of each chapter, a Word of the Day from Marya’s journal provides some insight into the upcoming plot, and at the end of the book, readers have the option to plan an obstacle course, just like Marya did in the story.