![]() The Last Cuentista has won several awards and received accolades. I wanted to love it, but I just didn't. To be fair, the novel is science fiction, and I am rarely a big fan of science fiction, but it was more than that really. I just did not connect with the characters or the storyline. I did enjoy how the author embedded folklore within the storyline and emphasized the importance of creativity and storytelling. Oftentimes the novel seemed to have a magical realism feel to it despite the overarching dystopian and science fiction elements. The plotline centers on the Earth being destroyed by a comet and only a few hundred people and their families being chosen to travel to a new planet. where the storyline lost me was the ship and the pods they traveled within culminating in them arriving hundreds of years later. It was all too much of a reach for me; however, if you are a science fiction lover, you might enjoy this book. Approximate grade level - 5th-9th - Sensitive readers might be disturbed by the plotline since the Earth is facing destruction and only a few are chosen to live, and the main character's family does not all reach their intended destination.
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![]() In this novel which is reminiscent of Rick Riordan's mythology-based novels, Charlie Hernandez discovers some family secrets that lead him to his role in Latin American myths. Charlie's abuela raised him on Latin mythologies from Central and South American, and he has always loved them as stories, but over the course of this novel, Charlie learns that the monsters he loved learning about are true. Charlie has to use the knowledge his abuela gave him of these myths and monsters to save himself and his family. This is a fun book with an action-packed storyline. I enjoyed the Spanish words interspersed within the story as they add to the authenticity of the story and help build Charlie's character. This book is the first in a series. Some of the monster's Charlie faces are a little creepy, so be advised! Approximate Reading Level - Grades 5th-8th ![]() I quite enjoyed the story The Beautiful Lady: Our Lady of Guadalupe by Pat Mora and illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher because I have never heard the story of the Lady of Guadalupe and found it interesting and insightful. I particularly enjoyed that the author included an author’s note at the end of the story to give a little bit more information into the story for readers who might want to gain a more detailed understanding of the tale. In the author’s note, the reader learns that the origin of the story dates back to 1531 and that the Lady of Guadalupe is the “best-known manifestation of Mary in the Americas.” The story was engaging and introduced the reader to the story through the yearly tradition of Grandma Lupita telling the story of the Lady of Guadalupe to her grandchildren, Rose and Terry. Readers are given a window into a pleasant family tradition that is rooted in Latino culture. Mora uses Spanish words throughout the story as Grandma Lupita and her grandchildren are speaking which lends to the authenticity of the story as well. Readers can make connections between the family traditions shared in the story and their own family traditions. Johnson and Fancher’s illustrations are beautiful and follow the course of the story with pictures of Grandma Lupita and her grandchildren in the kitchen and viewing the statue of the Lady of Guadalupe as well as the journey that Diego makes as he attempts to get a church erected for the Lady. Although the tale itself is engaging, the addition of the colorful and intricate illustrations draws the reader further into the storyline. Overall, Our Beautiful Lady captures the tradition surrounding the Latino tale of the Lady of Guadalupe and presents it in a contemporary fashion that students can engage with and understand. Approximate Reading Level: 1st-3rd grades ![]() The Skirt is a short chapter book targeted at elementary students, and it does a good job of introducing the characters and the main conflict they face. The story follows a traditional story arc with the conflict being resolved at the end. Through the story, Soto weaves Mexican culture with the introduction of the folklorico skirt and its meaning to Miata and her mother. Soto also incorporates some Spanish words and phrases throughout the story which lends some authenticity to the text and serves as a great window into the lives of a traditional Mexican-American family. Students who do not understand Spanish can infer the meaning based on the context and will see another language interwoven into their text. As the story progresses, the reader learns the importance of family by seeing how the Ramirez family eats together and how they interact and speak with each other. The Ramirez family is portrayed as a typical American family whose father loves baseball, but also a family with its roots still grounded in Mexican tradition and culture as is shown through their use of Spanish language and their love of tradition such as the folklorico skirt that has been passed down to Miata. Students of all backgrounds will be able to relate to the family and see some of their own traditions and family values reflected in the story. The illustrations in the book are somewhat scant and are in black and white, but they add to the storyline and allow readers to get a picture of Miata and her family. I believe they will help readers who may not be familiar with the Mexican culture, get an idea of what a folklorico skirt looks like so they can better understand the story as whole. The illustrations also help to authenticate the story by adding details such as Mexican American artwork and furnishings in the house. As a whole, I believe Soto and Velasquez are able to capture an interesting story while also sharing some Mexican heritage with their readers. Most readers will be able to relate to the idea of losing something precious to them and working hard to get it back. Approximate Reading Level: 3rd-6th grades ![]() The Poet X has been in my reading queue for quite a while, but I just have not gotten around to reading it. And honestly, now that I have read it, I am not sure what to think. I personally enjoyed the book and feel like my female students would be able to relate to many portions of it, but it is pretty gritty and sexual in places with some difficult themes that would make recommending it and teaching it a little dicey in some school districts. While I am sure it would serve as a window for many of my students to view the experiences young girls often face, I am not sure it is a window a lot of my parents would like their students peering through. Although the book is fictional it reads like an autobiography in verse; the author, Acevedo is Dominican and grew up in New York City which correlates to the main character Xiomara. As I read, I wondered how much of the book was potentially inspired by Acevedo’s own life and experiences. Many of poems center around Xiomara’s feelings towards her body and how men react to her body. She seems to constantly be dealing with having to tell men to stop touching her or commenting on her body which honestly made me angry as I read the book. Xiomara, and no teenager or woman, should have to deal with unwanted sexual advances. Being a teenager and dealing with your body’s changes is difficult enough without adding in the advances Xiomara deals with throughout the book. I am sure teenage girls will see many of their thoughts and feelings mirrored in Xiomara’s and feel a since of kinship with her. Xiomara also grapples at home with her religious mother, twin brother who begins to realize he is homosexual, and a father who is not very present. Xiomara handles her home struggles through writing poetry and leaning on her best friend, Caridad. The mom in the story seems a bit cliché’ to me. She was sent to the U.S. to marry her husband, and left behind her country and desire to be a nun. Her husband was a philanderer and so the mom is basically not happy except for the birth of the “miracle” twins who essentially saved the family unit. Since the mom did not get to become a nun, she is very heavy-handed in her treatment with Xiomara and how Xiomara should act as a female. Xiomara is given very little freedom and is expected not to date until she is finished with college. Although, I did enjoy the book, I would caution parents to review the content before having their children read it simply because of the sexual nature of many of the poems. It would be a good book for mothers to read with their high school-aged daughters to facilitate discussions about some of the things and feelings Xiomara contends with. Approximate Reading Level - 8th and 9th (but I would put the content level at high school) |
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