Way Off Track

Gr 5 Up–Like many cultures, Jamaican folklore features a trickster figure: Anansi the spider. Nansi, a seventh grade girl who aspires to be the fastest runner in the world and win every medal, follows in her namesake’s steps—or shoes in this case. Everything is great for Nansi until the track race where she loses to one of the most annoying girls in school, Tania. It’s bad enough that Tania is always making fun of Nansi and looking down on her, and now she has beat her in the race. Nansi thinks the only way Tania could have won is with the new shoes Tania bought, so Nansi simply must have those $340 shoes for herself. In order to get the money, Nansi pleads, schemes, and uses tricks in the hope of beating Tania in the next race. The illustrations are reflective of Nansi’s over-the-top emotions and her fun but mischievous ways. The art is filled with bright colors, animated faces, and a diverse cast of characters. The story is well told just through the visuals, which perfectly represent Nansi’s various moods, from her thoughts and dreams of Power Puff Girl characters to being cast aside by her friends.