Martina Has Too Many Tías

by Emma Otheguy (Author) Sara Palacios (Illustrator)

Martina Has Too Many Tías
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Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade
cms Common Sense Media Review

A quiet girl overwhelmed by her rambunctious family finds a magical land of solitude only to discover what truly makes a home a home in this lively and magical bilingual picture book that reimagines the beloved Caribbean folktale "La Cucaracha Martina."

Martina does not like parties. Parties are full of tías with their flashy fashions and boom-and-bellow laughter that's too much for quiet Martina. At least with all that noise, no one notices when she slips away. She finds herself in a magical place: a warm, familiar island where she can finally play in peace and quiet. Martina is home at last--or is she?

cms Common Sense Media Review
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$18.99

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Kirkus

Starred Review
An affirming story that feels like a warm hug from a beloved relative. 

Hornbook

Palacios's visual representation of the cacophony of sounds in the overlays -- in particular the page with all three tias -- is bright and loud; you can feel the noise pop off the page. An author's note explains the folktale tie-in and explores the trope of the loud Latina. 

Emma Otheguy
Emma Otheguy is the author of the middle-grade novel Silver Meadows Summer (Knopf, 2019) and the bilingual picture book Martí's Song for Freedom (Lee & Low, 2017) which received five starred reviews, was named a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, and the New York Public Library. She co-authored The Unicorn Rescue Society: The Madre de Aguas of Cuba with Adam Gidwitz (Dutton 2020), and her most recent publication is her contribution to the new Carmen Sandiego universe, Secrets of the Silver Lion (HMH 2020).

Emma holds a Ph.D. in History from New York University, where she focused on colonial Latin America, and graduated from Swarthmore College, sold books at an independent bookstore, and taught elementary-school Spanish. She lives in New York City with her family. Visit her online at emmaotheguy.com.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781534445369
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date
June 20, 2023
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV039050 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Emotions & Feelings
JUV013030 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Multigenerational
JUV012070 - Juvenile Fiction | Legends, Myths, Fables | Caribbean & Latin American
Library of Congress categories
Imagination
Hispanic Americans
Folk tales
Quietude

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