Juana and Lucas (Juana and Lucas #1)

Gr 2-4--In this beguiling chapter book sprinkled with Spanish, Juana lives in Bogota, Colombia, and loves to read under the covers, eat brussels sprouts, and play with her best amigo, Lucas, her ever-loyal pooch. However, she detests her school uniform and having to learn English, until her grandfather (Abue) gives her the best motivation to master the language: a visit to Spaceland, a U.S. amusement park, if her grades improve. Juana's first-person account is readily relatable, assisted by the clean layout and fanciful illustrations.

A Colombian girl takes on her greatest challenge--the English language--in this cheery series opener. Juana lives in Bogota, where she enjoys life with her family and dog, Lucas. When English is introduced in school, Juana asks everyone she knows if she really has to learn another language. Medina (1 Big Salad) incorporates italicized Spanish words throughout Juana's first-person narration, always providing enough context clues so that English-speaking readers can do some language-learning of their own ("When a grown-up says something is going to be a ton of fun, it means there will be no fun at all. Not even a single bit of fun. Nada de fun"). Enlarged words and phrases creative type placement help emphasize Juana's lively attitude as she discovers the ways that English can be useful. Medina's loose, full-color cartoons and interspersed profiles of the people in Juana's life add to the overall playfulness of the story. It's an inviting look at life in Colombia, and readers will probably be struck by just how much they have in common with Juana. Ages 5-8. Agent: Gillian MacKenzie, Gillian MacKenzie Agency. (Sept.)