“Family money” Chad Zunker

Rated 5 stars ***** ebook. Thomas & Mercer. 2022.

Alex was supposed to be enjoying the good life. Joe, his father-in-law, invested $5 million in his new business, which allowed him to stay home more with his lovely wife and daughters as the company expanded. They moved into a luxurious home, went on family vacations, and gave money to their favorite charities. Their trip to Mexico was supposed to be a chance for all of them to do charity work and for his daughters to help others less fortunate. Instead, it turned into a nightmare when Joe was kidnapped and murdered.

As executor of Joe’s estate Alex had to make sure his mother-in-law’s future was settled, but found out Joe was worth much less than he thought, and no one knew he had $5 million. He began to dig for information, but the man he’d thought of as a father had many secrets. It didn’t take long for people involved with his search to get murdered, so Alex will have to decide if it’s worth his family’s future to keep searching for answers or to let sleeping dogs lie.

This book is a nail biter and will keep you rapidly turning pages as you try to figure out what happened to Joe and what will happen next to Alex. So, buckle up because you’re in for a ride!

Recommended for Adults.

“When you get to the other side” Mariana Osorio Gumá; Translated by Cecilia Weddell

Rated 5 stars ***** Cinco Puntos Press (Lee & Low). 300 p. 2022.

Twelve-year-old Emilia misses her grandmother, Mamá Lochi, who had raised her and her older brother Goyo after their mother died. Mamita had been struck by lightning when she was seven years old, allowing her to see and hear things not from this world. With training from a local witch doctor, she became a powerful curandera. Emilia had been training to follow in her footsteps.

After Mamita died Emilia and Goyo were alone for months, since their father and uncles had crossed the border years earlier. Their only hope of survival was to get to Colorado where they hoped to reunite with their father. However, after their guides got the men and women across the border and into the desert, they were forcibly separated. The men were allowed to be captured by the Border Patrol while the women were taken by a trafficking ring. Goyo managed to avoid capture but, despite the thirst, cold and hunger that threatened to overwhelm him, he was determined to find his sister.

Emilia and Goyo capture readers, as their stories alternate between memories of Mamita and the horrors of their trip across the border. Many Mexican women have disappeared in the desert on their journeys to the United States, and the author sheds some light on their possible fates. The crimes committed by Mexican cartels against more than 100,000 missing people continue today.

Recommended for Adults.

“The other side of the river” Alda P. Dobbs

Rated 5 stars ***** Sourcebooks Young Readers. Petra Luna #2. 351 p. (Includes Author’s note.) 2021.

When I last saw twelve-year-old Petra Luna she, her little sister, brother and grandmother had managed to make it across the desert from Mexico to the United States in 1913. There she and thousands of other Mexicans lived in a refugee camp for a short time. Petra was growing desperate knowing they would be deported back to the war in Mexico if she didn’t find a job so, when an opportunity arose for all of them to travel to San Antonio, she took it.

Once in San Antonio Petra found a job, and her dream of learning to read was reawakened until Abuelita reminded her they were poor, and reading wasn’t important. At first Petra disagreed but, as others continued to see her as beneath them, she lost hope in a better future. With her confidence and faith shattered Petra will have to be braver and stronger than she thinks she can be if she wants to stay in the United States and make something of herself.

I was so engrossed in Petra’s story that I finished this book in one sitting. Her story continues as similar scenarios are played out daily in the 21st century.

Highly recommended for ages 11-14.

“Vampires of El Norte” Isabel Cañas

Rated 5 stars ***** ARC. ebook. Berkley (Penguin Random House). To be published August 29, 2023.

It was 1837 as Nena recalled meeting eight-year-old Néstor when he showed up at her papá’s ranch after his father and the ranchero where they worked were murdered by Anglos who wanted the land. Though she was a rich ranchero’s daughter, and he a lowly vaquero, they were inseparable for five years. Now they were both thirteen-years-old. Anglos had come to her papá’s ranch seeking cattle and land, leaving her to worry about its future. To help her papá protect Los Ojuelos from the Anglos, and to allow Néstor to buy land he desperately wanted, they snuck out one night to look for silver supposedly buried by a long-ago Count. Those dreams ended when Nena was attacked by a strange beast and died.

Unable to live without her Néstor spent nine years roaming, working as a vaquero, and mourning his lost love. When Anglos began encroaching on their territory in 1846, rancheros joined the Mexican army. To keep his uncle from joining Néstor returned to Los Ojuelos where he found out Nena was alive, but her love had turned to hate because he had left her for nine years. As they headed into battle with Nena along as a curandera, Néstor did everything he could to protect her. However, as vampire-like beasts begin to attack vaqueros and soldiers, their lives and those of their fellow vaqueros and rancheros were at stake.

In alternating voices Nena and Néstor tell their stories. Néstor’s fierce love for Nena is unparalleled, while her wishy-washy ways towards him make her very annoying. Book titles are provided that give insight into curanderas, folklore and life in the period. I couldn’t put it down because I was immediately wrapped up in the story. You will find it just as engrossing.

Highly recommended for Adults.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

“They call her Fregona: A border kid’s poems” David Bowles

Rated 5 stars ***** ARC. Kokila (Penguin Random House). A border kid’s poems #2. 244 p. (Includes “Glossary” and “Author’s note.”) Published September 6, 2022.

In this sequel to “They call me Güero,” winner of the 2019 Pura Belpré Honor award, thirteen-year-old Güero continues sharing stories about life in a small Texas border town. Joanna, his lovely no nonsense girlfriend, is front and center in his 8th grade poems.

Nicknamed “Fregona” because of her tough girl attitude, Joanna is a strong young lady who stands up for what she believes. She is the wind beneath Güero’s wings. His love of family, friends and culture hasn’t changed, but now his stories are filled with his love for Joanna, and how she inspires him to be better. As he slowly unveils her story of prejudice and injustice Güero’s eyes are opened to the evil that was silently lurking in people’s hearts, forever changing both of their lives.

David Bowles’ ability to have his characters say the right things at the right times in the right ways continue to show the power of words and gives his teen and tween readers much food for thought. Don’t be surprised if it wins a Pura Belpré award, so stay tuned in January 2023 when winners are announced. Remember that you heard it here first!

Highly recommended for ages 11-14.

“They call me Güero: A border kid’s poems” David Bowles

Rated 5 stars ***** Kokila (Penguin Random House). 2021. 103 p. (Includes Glossary).

Seventh grader Güero has pale skin, freckles and red hair, so stands out in his Mexican American family, neighborhood and school. Often the target of bullies for not looking Mexican enough, he has learned to contain his anger by expressing himself through poetry. His musings about life, traditions, prejudice, friends and family are true-to-life.

Güero’s poems are a love story to his family, his culture and his people.

Highly recommended for ages 11-14.

“Once I was you: Finding my voice and passing the mic” Maria Hinojosa

Rated 5 stars *****ARC. Simon & Schuster. Published Aug. 16, 2022. 260 p.

Was thrilled to meet Maria Hinojosa, Pulitzer Prize and Emmy award winning journalist, Anchor and Executive Producer of Latino USA.

At the recent American Library Association conference in D.C. this past June, me and a few of my fellow librarians from REFORMA spoke with Maria for a little while before her opening speech and she gifted us with her ARC. She signed my copy “¡Para Alma! Heroina!” gave a shout out to REFORMA during her speech, and later wrote about us on her blog, which was a great honor. I was planning on reading her book and keeping it on my library shelves, but it’s so good I had to share the love with all of my subscribers.

In 2020, Maria wrote an adult version of this book and was inspired to write one for teens. In “Once I was you,” she shares her memories of leaving her extended family behind in Mexico and moving with her parents, older brothers and sister to the United States. Maria weaves a tale of family, love and change, sprinkled throughout with cultural references.

The United States and Maria were changing in the 1960’s and, as she watched the news, she was busily trying to figure out her place in the world. Watching coverage of the Vietnam War, and seeing how journalists ignored the Vietnamese, gave her a small inkling of the kind of journalist she’d want to be. She knew she’d want to listen to those who didn’t have voices, and listen to the voiceless.

From her early activist beginnings and the growth she experienced from learning to truly love herself as a Mexican and Latina, Maria Hinojosa’s story will inspire her teen readers.

Highly recommended for ages 16 and older.

“The last Karankawas” Kimberly Garza

Rated 2 stars ** ARC. ebook. Henry Holt and Company. (Macmillan). To be published August 9, 2022.

The population of Galveston, Texas in 2008 was a mixture of native-born islanders, Filipinos, Mexicans and other immigrants. Through chapter after chapter individuals detail their hopes, dreams and fears, as well as their reasons for being on the Island. Eventually some abandoned the Island in favor of new horizons, while others forever called it home.

Central to the book’s theme is the question of whether or not anyone could be related to the Island’s indigenous Karankawas, who disappeared centuries earlier. Carly believes the tribe died out years ago, but her grandmother Magdalena insists they are descendants. Sure that her grandmother is suffering from dementia, Carly spends the entire book denying her birthright.“The last Karankawas” is a look at life on Galveston, leading up to the Hurricane of 2008 and its aftermath. In alternating voices characters tell their stories, but the sheer number of them is overwhelming. I thought Garza should have let Carly and Magdalena tell their stories without the distraction of the other voices.

I feel more should have been written about the Karankawas, including their influence on the Island and its people. Proof that they still exist through their descendants should have also been part of the narrative. A Smithsonian magazine article showed the Taínos of Puerto Rico, from which I’m descended, still exist. Though many thought they died out when Europeans decimated their population, I still carry marks of my Taíno ancestors.

I hard a hard time following along with the many different voices, and couldn’t get into the storyline, so gave it just 2 stars. I will still recommend it for Adults who want to know more about the Island and the 2008 hurricane, but be prepared to be disappointed if you want to read about the Karankawas.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

“Witches” Brenda Lozano; Translated by Heather Cleary

Rated 3 stars *** ARC. ebook. Catapult. To be published August 16, 2022. (First published in Spanish as “Brujas” in 2020).

A curandero is a traditional healer who may know the future, while also sensing and curing physical, mental and emotional ailments. Curanderos heal through mushroom ceremonies (veladas), natural herbs, songs and incantations.

Paloma, a Muxe, followed in the family’s footsteps as a curandera, but slowly stopped performing ceremonies because she preferred the company of men. With Paloma’s encouragement, her cousin Feliciana became a curandera, learning to release the words that lead to healing.

Zoe entered Feliciana’s world when she came to Mexico to write an article about her life. In their voices Paloma, Feliciana and Zoe speak of male domination, how they overcame to become strong female leaders, and the importance of female role models.

Though the narrative tended to be rambling and repetitive in parts, readers will learn much about curanderas and their importance to the Indigenous communities of Mexico. Feliciana’s curandera role is based in part on the life of María Sabina Magdalena García, another strong female.

Recommended for Adults.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

“Nobody’s pilgrims” Sergio Troncoso

Rated 5 stars ***** Cinco Puntos Press (Lee & Low). 2022. 274 p.

Sixteen-year-old Turi loved reading, as books were an escape from the abuse he endured at his aunt and uncle’s house in El Paso Texas. Stories helped him forget he was lonely and unloved.

Undocumented seventeen-year-old Arnulfo crossed the border from Juárez Mexico, wanting to get a good job to escape poverty and help his parents financially.

The two boys meet while working at a chicken farm where Arnie accepts an offer to leave town with Juanito, an older man who works for their boss. After being badly beaten by his uncle, Turi joins them and they set off for Kansas City.

At a checkpoint Turi sees a bribe exchange between Juanito and an ICE officer. Believing they’re transporting drugs and will be killed he and Arnie escape, steal the pickup truck and, in Missouri, meet seventeen-year-old Molly. Desperate to get out of her dead end town, she joins them and they set out for Connecticut.

Unaware they’re transporting something far more dangerous than drugs, they also don’t know Juanito’s boss, Mr. Dunbar, will do anything to find them before his crime boss finds out what’s missing. Though he sets three of his own on the trail, Dunbar doesn’t know his boss already knows and has put El Hijo de Huerta, his best assassin, on the hunt. El Hijo knows that he always completes his jobs. Always.

This suspense filled, dystopian adventure will keep readers on the edges of their seats as our heroes run into tight situations that appear to have no way out. I read it in just one day! As I read I could see it playing out in front of me on the big screen so, if any scriptwriters are out there, this is your next big blockbuster!

Highly recommended for ages 18 and older.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.