Lotería

"And so it was that the fate of a child... hung on a pile of beans and a deck of cards." In Oaxaca City each year, Life and Lady Death come together for 36 hours to play Lotería, a game of chance that will decide the future of one human being without their knowledge or consent. After arriving on a hot summer day, Life and Lady Death let loose their magic, which chooses as its next target Clara, a steadfast 11-year-old who draws fantastical creatures. But when the consequences of the game and grief drive Clara’s eight-year-old cousin Esteban to enter the perilous Aztlán through a nopal cactus, Clara must go after him-and face dangerous obstacles awakened by the Lotería cards-to keep a promise. From the first line of this philosophical debut, Arenas Valenti demonstrates a gift for interweaving immersive, sensory-rich storytelling ("Life sauntered into town on a wave of heat") with a thoughtful discussion of fate vs. determinism. Fans of Coco will savor this tale and Sanmar’s occasional illustrations, which visualize Clara and Esteban’s journeys and the Lotería cards as the game progresses. Ages 8-12.

Copyright 2021 Publisher’s Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Gr 3-6-Life and Death have met up for their yearly game of Lotería and the silver strands of fate have chosen Clara this year, a seemingly ungifted dark-haired girl born into a family of gifted people in Oaxaca, Mexico. She does not know that she is being watched, but her prescient cousin Estaban foresees something bad about the happen. And bad things do happen and keep happening. When Clara's aunt dies suddenly, Estaban is blinded by grief for his mother and walks into the dangerous kingdom of Las Pozas where the Man in Red kidnaps him. Clara must follow to save her young cousin before he is trapped there forever by the king. She must learn the rules of this kingdom and begin to trust her talents. All the while, Life and Death play their game to determine her next obstacle and finally, which one will claim her in the end. The discussion of our lives being controlled by fate or free choice appears throughout and while all gets resolved and final choices are made, part of the beauty and brilliance of this tale is making readers comfortable with the concept that life or death can be equally important, and even fulfilling, destinies. The magical realism employed adds a warmth and imaginative quality to the world-building that is only enhanced by the rich feast of language Valenti offers up. Readers will be able to smell the chocolate in Clara's family's restaurant and feel the plants in her aunt's garden. The illustrations that are interspersed as partial and full-page spreads add another access point to this world full of Mexican mythology and characters; detailed imagery of each round of Lotería cards is a powerful tool to see where we are in the game. The use of Spanish is prevalent throughout and is always translated or explained so it can certainly be understood by readers not at all familiar with Mexican culture or mythology. Additionally, the explanations of characters and stories referenced in the back of the book make this story even more meaningful and accessible. VERDICT A magical, philosophical tale rooted in Mexican lore that will hold readers from beginning to end with its verdant language and setting.

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.