Paola Santiago and the River of Tears (Paola Santiago #1)

Twelve-year-old Paola Santiago has always been more comfortable with science and logic than with her mother's ghost stories, especially due to her history of vivid nightmares. When her friend Emma vanishes near the banks of Silver Spring, Ariz.'s Gila River, a place forbidden to Paola because of its history of mysterious disappearances, she and friend Dante investigate, only to be sucked into a realm where monsters out of her mother's stories stalk them. The two find refuge with Los Niños de la Luz, an army of child warriors who guard the world's liminal spaces. To track down Emma and save the world, the two must draw upon the strength of their friendship and confront a centuries-old tragedy. With this adventure, Mejia (We Set the Dark on Fire) draws upon her Latinx heritage to conjure creatures from folklore, such as chupacabras, La Llorona, and disembodied hands, arming Paola and her allies with fantastical weapons and layering in realistic plot points: socioeconomic and immigration concerns, the tension between science and superstition. Complicated emotional development is a particular strength--Paola wrestles with issues of anger and forgiveness, mother-daughter strife, and the new "boy-girl weirdness" between her and Dante en route to becoming a reluctant hero. Ages 8-12. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Aug.)

Twelve-year-old Paola "Pao" Santiago lives in Silver Springs, AZ, with her besties Dante and Emma. Her mother strongly believes in ancestor ghosts and regional legends like La Llorona, a weeping ghost who drowns her victims in the Gila River. Pao appreciates science and evidence, a position she must question when Emma disappears. Pao and Dante search for her in a magical hinterland, where their dream guide Ondina steers them past frightening chupacabras and ghost children ahogados. They reach a camp with immortal child warriors who defend Silver Springs but fear an overwhelming assault. Pao departs the camp to find Emma, facing a battle with the ghosts' puppet master. Mejia's Mexican American myth succeeds both as an extended quest and a humorous contemporary story. Her real genius lies, however, in detailed yet effortless characterization. It takes mere pages before readers will know and love Pao. Pao is both a pragmatist and a dreamer. Her loyalty to Emma and her changing feelings for Dante feel well integrated with the action. Minor characters like Ondina and the camp children have stand-out moments. And who can resist Pao's acquisition of a demon hound? Character development, the Southwestern setting, and action share story space without seeming rushed. Spanish phrases, like those Dante's abuela uses to advise the children, are understandable to non-Spanish speakers in context. Readers may wonder why the unwed mother in the folktale is shunned and could benefit from a grown-up's explanation. VERDICT A warm, thrilling Mexican American adventure. An essential purchase.—Caitlin Augusta, Stratford Lib. Assoc., CT