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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
A relatively fun fantasy/adventure romp. The highlight is its showcasing of myriad Hispanic myths and folk tales that span the spectrum from friend to foe. Calejo's writing is rather forced and contrived (do kids still say "blow chunks") and I didn't find the humor natural. I did like the super-competent sidekick Violet with her investigative skills along with the sprinkling of Spanish language casually inserted throughout. For fans of Percy Jackson or the Emerald Atlas. I feel like this is going to be the first in a series.
This book is great for latine fans of books such as Percy Jackson and Harry Potter. This book was something I definitely would've wanted to read when I was younger.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
When Charlie Hernandez's house burns down and his parents disappear, he has no idea how to react. The authorities are sure there were no bodies in the fire, but Charlie knows his parents would never just abandon him. That should be bad enough, right, but no! His body starts changing: growing horns then feathers. What the heck? As he gets more and more freaked out, he starts seeing figures from the stories and myths his grandmother told him as a child. Brujas and monsters seem to be everywhere and Charlie's only hope is a girl he barely knows, Violet Rey.
Can Charlie figure it out in time to prevent the end of the world?
This was such a fun, quick read! There's just enough danger and suspense for the middle grade crowd. The plot is complicated enough to make you think, but not so much that the reader gets bogged down. With short chapters, a little humor, and just enough reality to keep you grounded, this is a great, spooky middle grade adventure!
Can Charlie figure it out in time to prevent the end of the world?
This was such a fun, quick read! There's just enough danger and suspense for the middle grade crowd. The plot is complicated enough to make you think, but not so much that the reader gets bogged down. With short chapters, a little humor, and just enough reality to keep you grounded, this is a great, spooky middle grade adventure!
I had to read this book for school and it was quick but for a while I wasn’t invested and had no interest in it
Flawed but still very charming and funny middle grade fantasy. Charlie is an endearing lead and I stuck with some of the more rushed or clunky elements of the story because I enjoyed Charlie’s narration so much.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was sort of a miss for me as an adult. I’d probably have given it a 3.75 if an adult fantasy was similarly written. There was a lot of cliched writing and I don’t love the way the Spanish is thrown in here and there. It feels forced.
All that said, I read this with my son and he enjoyed it enough to start the next book in the series, so it’s a 4.
All that said, I read this with my son and he enjoyed it enough to start the next book in the series, so it’s a 4.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I received an ARC for an honest review.
Charlie Hernandez’s parents are gone. While waiting at child services for placement, he discovers tiny horns sprouting from his head and recalls the stories his abuela told him night after night, especially those about the Morphling, the myth about a young hero who always defeats his nemesis—an evil twice-cursed witch—by manifesting some kind of an animal trait.
But those were just made up stories.
No longer sleeping at the police station, he’s placed temporarily with the elderly doll collector, Mrs. Wilson, and just when life begins to feel normal again, feathers sprout up all over his body—at middle school! Thinking fast, Charlie ditches into the office and finds a long-sleeve sparkly snow jacket in the lost and found. Wearing a ski jacket during the afternoon in Miami shouldn’t bring any unwanted attention.
Then he runs into Alice-the-Terrible, 6-foot-tall-fastball-crushing all-state softball player—and she wants the locket he’s wearing. The one thing he has left of his mother’s.
Not while Violet Rey is around—super-sleuth-school-newspaper-reporter—with the megawatt smile stops Alice in her tracks. The same girl he’s crushed on since first grade. Turns out, Violet has admired Charlie’s father, the animal geneticist, ever since his presentation on the harm in breeding dogs, she even used it for the school paper. Violet is very curious about his mother’s locket and knows it’s an antique (her father owns a pawn shop). Is there anything Violet doesn’t know? But it’s locked and Charlie’s unable to open it. Violet has a look and it clicks open in seconds. Inside, they find a miniature map, with the same horns and feather insignia Charlie sees everywhere.
Together, they make an unlikely team, and go underground with the tiny map, in search of answers to where Charlie’s parents are, and they come face to face with supernatural villains, myths and folklore from all over the Spanish-speaking world.
Conversations with a calaca, and La Llorona, the weeping woman, after following the glowing orbs of La Luz Mala, deep into the woods, among many others. Charlie discovers the stories his abuela told him were true. Was she preparing him?
An exciting, fast-paced Middle Grade adventure! With friends standing up for each other and working together. I loved Violet’s character and the skills she has when they’re needed and Charlie’s self-deprecating humor. Rich in cultural mythology, and so much fun! For further study of these fascinating tales, the glossary of Spanish folklore is a good starting point. Perfect for fans of Percy Jackson, or anyone who loves magic, adventure, and tracking down a mystery.
Charlie Hernandez’s parents are gone. While waiting at child services for placement, he discovers tiny horns sprouting from his head and recalls the stories his abuela told him night after night, especially those about the Morphling, the myth about a young hero who always defeats his nemesis—an evil twice-cursed witch—by manifesting some kind of an animal trait.
But those were just made up stories.
No longer sleeping at the police station, he’s placed temporarily with the elderly doll collector, Mrs. Wilson, and just when life begins to feel normal again, feathers sprout up all over his body—at middle school! Thinking fast, Charlie ditches into the office and finds a long-sleeve sparkly snow jacket in the lost and found. Wearing a ski jacket during the afternoon in Miami shouldn’t bring any unwanted attention.
Then he runs into Alice-the-Terrible, 6-foot-tall-fastball-crushing all-state softball player—and she wants the locket he’s wearing. The one thing he has left of his mother’s.
Not while Violet Rey is around—super-sleuth-school-newspaper-reporter—with the megawatt smile stops Alice in her tracks. The same girl he’s crushed on since first grade. Turns out, Violet has admired Charlie’s father, the animal geneticist, ever since his presentation on the harm in breeding dogs, she even used it for the school paper. Violet is very curious about his mother’s locket and knows it’s an antique (her father owns a pawn shop). Is there anything Violet doesn’t know? But it’s locked and Charlie’s unable to open it. Violet has a look and it clicks open in seconds. Inside, they find a miniature map, with the same horns and feather insignia Charlie sees everywhere.
Together, they make an unlikely team, and go underground with the tiny map, in search of answers to where Charlie’s parents are, and they come face to face with supernatural villains, myths and folklore from all over the Spanish-speaking world.
Conversations with a calaca, and La Llorona, the weeping woman, after following the glowing orbs of La Luz Mala, deep into the woods, among many others. Charlie discovers the stories his abuela told him were true. Was she preparing him?
An exciting, fast-paced Middle Grade adventure! With friends standing up for each other and working together. I loved Violet’s character and the skills she has when they’re needed and Charlie’s self-deprecating humor. Rich in cultural mythology, and so much fun! For further study of these fascinating tales, the glossary of Spanish folklore is a good starting point. Perfect for fans of Percy Jackson, or anyone who loves magic, adventure, and tracking down a mystery.
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This was a fine book. It just wasn’t for me it is very much a boon for pre-teens