Maximillian & The Mystery of the Guardian Angel - Xavier Garza

Maximillian & The Mystery of the Guardian Angel by Xavier Garza
Max loves luche libre, his favorite fighter is Guardian Angel. Max is excited about going to a match with his dad. It's his reward for earning straight A's in the fifth grade. This book came out last year, it looked like fun and I wanted to read it. However I never got around to it. After it was selected as a 2012 Purla Belpre honor, I moved it up my tbr list and very happy that I did. Max is a very likable character, and has a lucha libra filled summer. He even gets to meet Guardian Angel. Along with Max's voice, Garza does an excellent job of including the family. There are over exaggerated and very cool black and white illustrations of the fighters included throughout. The big match at the end plays out very well visually and will easily draw the reader into Max's love of luche libre. This is a bilingual story. English and Spanish are side by side, so a reader can read one and not be distracted by the other.

The Girl Who Could Silence The Wind - Meg Medina

The Girl Who Could Silence the Wind by Meg Medina
Sonia was born the night a terrible storm hit Tres Montes. Sonia's village should've been in ruins but it was fine and everyone was safe. The people of Tres Montes believed they had Sonia to thank for this miracle. Now 16 Sonia struggles to live up to the expectations of towns people and quietly carry all the burdens. that they bestow upon her.

Tres Montes is a small poor village most of the men of are miners including Sonia's father. Many of the young people are leaving to find jobs in the capital. Sonia 's older brother Rafael is desperate to get a good job in the capital but he's still Sonia when she gets her chance to leave.

The people of Tres Montes put all of their faith in Sonia and she never thought they would let her go. So she's very grateful to leave and for the new experiences in the capital. Everything is going well until, Rafeal goes missing. Sonia is determined to find her brother no matter the consequences.

I really enjoyed this story. Part of the beauty of Medina's writing comes from not trying to make things happen but rather letting them unfold. I couldn't help but be moved by the author's light touch. Medina does a wonderful job making Tres Montes come to life. Sonia carries the story with ease and the author surrounds her with a lot of great secondary characters.

2012 Pura Belpre Honorees Video Edition

The 2012 Youth Media Awards were handed out last month. I thought I'd share the videos by the Latino authors and illustrators who received a Pura Belpre award.

Diego Rivera: His World and Ours by Duncan Tonatiuth


The Cazuela that the Farm Maiden Stirred by Samantha R. Vamos illus. by Rafael Lopez.


Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia Mccall


Maximilian & the Mystery of the Guardian Angel by Xavier Garza


Hurricane Dancers by Margarita Engle


I couldn't find a video for one honoree- Sara Palacios illustrator of Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match/Marisol McDonald no combina by Monica Brown - There's a used copy on sale at amazon for 1,068.77 + shipping, Over a $1,000 and seller can't cover shipping. Cuesto mucho mucho dinero no bueno. Es muy loco. I hope no one is foolish enough to buy that. Since its a used copy Brown and Palacios will not get any residuals.



A lot of these titles are on back order, the publishers have to print more (reprint) to meet the demand. This is a good thing, it means the Pura Belpre award is having the intended effect, people are seeking out the books and diversifying their library

So if there's a book on here that you want and it happens to be on back order, go ahead and place your order, that way publishers are aware of the demand and then wait for the reprint. More copies should be available in a few weeks. Whatever you do, do not buy the used copies. I love used books when they're like three or five bucks. But not when the used copies cost more than the retail price of the book. Sellers making a larger profit than the authors really pisses me off. So wait for the reprint to let authors, illustrators and their publishers can get the credit they deserve. And don't forget to check the your local biblioteca.

The Knife and The Butterfly - Ashley Hope Perez

The Knife and The Butterfly by Ashley Hope Perez
16 yr old Azael lives in Houston and is a member of the MS-13 gang. The day after a fight with another gang, Azael wakes up in lock up and he can't remember how he got there. The chapters alternate between now and then. In the now Azael is in jail trying to remember the fight. He finds himself thinking about his girlfriend Becca and worry about his brother Eddie and the other MS 13 members. In the now Azael is also introduced to Lexi, a White girl he swears he doesn't know. Though Azael quickly learns Lexi might be the key to understanding what happened. In the then, we learn more about Azael, including his passion and love for graffiti art and why he joined a gang in the first place. Azael and Lexi are two very different people, who find themselves in a similar situation. As the story develops both are forced to make life changing decisions.

This is only Perez's second novel though it's clear she already has a talent for creating three dimensional main characters. The reader is allowed to see the many sides of Azeal has he contemplates his future. Then there's Lexi, I didn't know what to make of her at first and by the end I was moved by how the two characters stories intersected. As you can probably already tell I really enjoyed The Knife and the Butterfly and its a wonderful follow up to the author's excellent debut, What Can't Wait.

Read Chapter 1

I will be posting an interview with Ashley Hope Perez tomorrow as a part of her ongoing blog tour. The interview is on the long side but this couldn't be helped because I took the opportunity to ask Perez's her opinion on the recent events in Tuscon. For that question I told Ashley length was not an issue.

A Good Long Way - Rene Saldana Jr.

A Good Long Way by Rene Saldana, Jr.
This novel explores one day in the life of three teens. Beto Jr. is high school senior who is challenging the house rules set by his father, Roelito is the younger brother who must witness is brother and father argue on a regular basis. After another missed curfew the arguing turns physical for the first time. Roelito can only watch has their father kick his older brother out. Beto heads to the house of his best friend, Jessy. The chapters alternate between the three main characters. Their are straightforward, real and inviting I didn't want their stories to end. The heart of the story revolves around the changing relationship between Beto Sr. and Jr. Of the three my favorite was Jessy there was just something about her story that I loved.

"She decided she'd find her way back to her house. That's how she thought of it now, a house, nothing home about it, four walls of her room inside another four walls. Not even her mom helped out except to say, "Storm's coming. Lock yourself in." Well, she was done with locking herself in. She had to reenvision that whole business. Call it by another name."

However unlike myself the author doesn't play favorites. All the characters get the same amount of face time. Saladana manages to explore complex relationships in just over 100 pages (105). A Good Long Way reads like three intertwined novellas, the text has a lyrical quality to it. This is a novel in which the full goodness of it can sneak up on you.

Read an excerpt

Under the Mesquite - Guadalupe Garcia McCall

Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall
A novel in verse. Lupita loves writing in her journal. The oldest of eight siblings, Lupita has a lot of responsibilities even more when her mother becomes ill. The story spans Lupita's high school years and is broken up into six parts. I either like a verse novel or I don't, there is no middle ground. I consider verse a structured free form, that requires a certain amount of rhythm. Its easy to find poorly written novels in this style but the good ones are come by. McCall's debut is a great one.

There's an honesty and beauty to Lupita's voice. I love how the author makes Lupita and her family come to life. The novel moves at a beautiful pace with each poem tying in nicely to tell Lupita's story. These poems also work very well separately. It's a joy to flip and read a random entry. This is a very emotional read that never feels forced. Everything comes about naturally. I have much respect for an author that simply writes with the intention of telling a good story as opposed to playing on readers feelings to get the biggest reaction. The release date of Under the Mesquite got pushed back twice. It was well worth the wait. One of my favorite debuts of the year.

From Senorita

Senorita is a nina,
the girl I used to be,
who has lost her voice

A starred Kirkus Review
An excerpt

What Can't Wait - Ashley Hope Perez

What Can't Wait by Ashley Hope Perez
Marisa, a high school is trying to make plans for the future. She's torn between family obligations and going after what she really wants. Marisa works at a local supermarket giving more then half are pay check to family expenses. She has even more responsibilities when her not so great or smart brother in law is in an accident. Marisa must babysit her niece Anita, leaving her even less time to study. Marisa has always been a straight A student and her parents have never acknowledged this.

I fell into this one from the very beginning thanks to Marisa's voice. Marisa does are best to do what's right for her family and herself. Perez makes it easy for readers to grasp Marisa's dilemma. Author has created a very realistic and likeable main character. Marisa could easily carry a stilted story though thankfully that was never an issue. Perez's writing is solid and smooth.

One of the great things about this story is its realness, everything that happens has the ring of possibility from the dialogue to the the fallout Marisa's has with her father when she finally had enough.

What Can't Wait is simply a great book all around and a wonderful debut. I didn't do this book justice so please go read the excerpt via the author's site.

Perez will be signing at Boxcar Books in Bloomington, IN on Sat. March 26. I will go a step further and say this is a debut signed first edition you want in your election. Trust me, its that good. I am looking forward to reading many more books from Ashley Hope Perez in the future.

On Sale Now : New Releases (Latino Edition)

I didn't set out to make this the Latino Edition but one thing lead to another.

La aventura del Dia Mundial de al Escuela by Shakira, illus. by Kellee Riley and Kuni Tomita. And yes tt's the grammy award winning artist. This Dora Explorer book is making the list because I know Shakira does a lot of charity work.*


Manolito Four Eyes by Elvira Lindo, illus by Emilio Urberuga, translated by Joanne Moriarty. This is a popular children's series in Spain. An excerpt


When the Stars go Blue by Caridad Ferrer. I love this cover. This sounds like a beautiful story, I can't wait to read it. Even more so after the author was kind enough to answer a few questions about Latino authors and Young Adult literature for my blog back in October. Ferrer's answers were just WOW. I (I already have my copy) read an excerpt or Ari's rave review


I've done many features and interviews this year, More Latino Authors/Necesitamos mas autores Latinos was one of my favorites. It was only as good as it was because of the authors

Three of my favorite Latino Picture Books of 2010

Chavela and the Magic Bubble by Monica Brown illus. by Magaly Morales. my review

Floating on Mama's Song by Laura Lacamara, illus by Yuyi Morales. my review

The Tooth Fairy Meets El Raton Perez by Rene Colato Lainez, illus by Tom Lintern. my review

*Maybe one of Shakira's people will accidentally find this and tell her about "When the Stars Go Blue" a story about a Latina girl who loves to dance. Shakira reads it and loves it,next thing you know, Ferrer's novel is muy caliente.