ALA Booklist (Sat Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2014)

It's a happy day in Mrs. Chanda's classroom when the students are given identical kits for constructing go-carts to race in a contest. Rafael, who is good at following directions, and his classmate Maya, a dreamer with a practical bent, creatively combine their kits to build a small plane. On contest day, a classmate scoffs at their contraption, but Maya and Rafael's vehicle soars above the go-carts to win the race. The closing spread offers a preview of their next project: a frog-inspired amphibious craft. Pared down to essentials, the text reads aloud well. In the artwork, the settings and expressive characters are defined by bold, black lines. Most illustrations are bright with colors, though the occasional picture, such as a night scene showing the children silhouetted against the sky, uses black, white, and shades of purplish gray. Like David Gordon's Your New JETT-Pup Owner's Manual (2011) and Viviane Schwarz's Welcome to Your Awesome Robot (2013), this satisfying picture book inspires can-do attitude combining imagination, invention, and engineering.

Horn Book (Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2014)

Each student receives an identical vehicle-building kit for the Going Places contest. Rafael and Maya collaborate ("the instructions never said we couldn't team up") and triumph with their unconventional contraption ("who said it HAD to be a go-cart?"). It's curious how a simple tool kit yields a plane, but the thinking-outside-the-box message is strong and the bright illustrations are full of momentum.

Kirkus Reviews

Imagination soars—quite literally—when a little girl follows her own set of rules. Every year Oak Hill School has a go-kart race called the Going Places contest. Students are given identical go-kart kits with a precise set of instructions. And of course, every single kart ends up exactly the same. Every one, that is, except Maya's. Maya is a dreamy artist, and she would rather sketch birds in her backyard than get caught up in the competition. When she finally does start working, she uses the parts in the go-kart box but creates something completely different. No one ever said it had to be a go-kart. Maya's creative thinking inspires Rafael, her neighbor (and the most enthusiastic Going Places contestant), to ask to team up. The instructions never say they couldn't work together, either! An ode to creativity and individuality to be sure, but the Reynolds brothers are also taking a swipe at modern education: Endless repetition and following instructions without question create a culture of conformity. Hopefully now, readers will see infinite possibility every time the system hands them an identical go-kart box. Not astonishingly go-out-and-buy-it-at-graduation inspirational, but all it takes is one seed of change to be planted. (Picture book. 4-8)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Although it has the whiff of an inspirational speech, this tale by the Reynolds brothers has enough entertainment value to avoid feeling inspid. Rafael is a dedicated instruction-follower, while his neighbor Maya is the dreamy sort: "She was so intent on watching the bird in front of her, and quickly sketching it, that she didn't even notice Rafael." When their teacher gives the class identical "Going Places" go-cart kits for an upcoming contest, Rafael realizes that collaborating with Maya, who envisions a flying machine instead of a car, might help him to victory. Sure enough, they dominate the contest. While the message about outside-the-box thinking is impossible to miss, the book is also an observation about how opposite temperaments can lead to successful collaborations. Still, Maya is a strong figure; Rafael's view of her over the fence as she experiments with a set of geared wings and pedals is an encouraging vision of the "maker" child who prefers crafting things herself to watching them on a screen. Ages 4-8. Agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties. (Mar.)

School Library Journal (Sat Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2014)

K-Gr 2 When Rafael gets his contest kit to build a go-cart, he is thrilled. He loves to follow instructions, and he wants to win the big race. When he teams up with his neighbor Maya, they start to think outside the box, way outside. By combining Rafael's perfectly made-by-the-directions go-cart with Maya's bird-inspired design, they end up with an airplane. Before they can even respond to the ribbing of their classmates, the race has begun. After a slow start, their entry soars above the traditional go-carts and sails to the finish line, coming in first. The story and illustrations perfectly complement each other. The text captures the discovery of new ideas, teamwork, and the joys of creating. The art brings them all to life with detailed, cartoon digital pictures that show great facial expressions, the fun of building, and the action of the race while leaving plenty of white space so as not to overwhelm. A fun story that will get kids thinking (maybe even outside the box). Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH