Salsa Magic

Marrero's beguiling debut about a Latine 13-year-old uncovering her mystical ancestral power is profoundly magical. When she's not playing soccer with her crush Kayla, who reads as Black, Maya Beatriz Montenegro Calderon spends most afternoons and weekends waiting tables at her family's Brooklyn restaurant, Café Taza. One day, Maya notices a mysterious old woman who looks like a figure from her dreams. Maya learns that the stranger is Titi Yaya, Abuela Chacha's sister, whom Abuela hasn't seen in 20 years. Abuela reluctantly lets Titi Yaya live in the apartment above the café, sternly warning the family not to talk to her. But Maya won't let that stop her; she sneaks upstairs to meet with Titi Yaya, who informs Maya that she's been chosen by Yemaya, the Yoruban goddess of water, to succeed Yaya as a bruja. Maya's lively voice dazzles amid a standout cast that includes her lovably unruly cousins as well as memorable neighbors and classmates of varied Black and Latine heritages. In this evocative multigenerational tale, Marrero cultivates a rich N.Y.C. setting that feels like a character in itself, bursting with even richer depictions of cultural traditions. Ages 8-12. Agent: Joy Tutela, David Black Literary. (Aug.)

Gr 4-8--Maya Montenegro Calderon lives in Brooklyn with her large Puerto Rican family. At 13, she spends all her time at school, playing soccer, or helping out at the family restaurant, Cafe Taza. Recently, Maya has been plagued by curious dreams and questions that her family refuses to answer until she is older. Then her mysterious Titi Yaya arrives on the Cafe Taza doorstep, and Maya's world is rocked and the strangeness in her life becomes even more frequent. In this novel steeped in family lore and West African Yoruba beliefs, Maya navigates old ideas and thirsts for new knowledge as she discovers how she fits into her vibrant family and the world beyond. It's told through Maya's first-person narrative; her stream of consciousness is endearing and relatable, and peppered with Spanish. Readers are transported to the streets of Brooklyn and treated to the sights, sounds, and smells of life in the restaurant. Characters are as diverse as the streets of New York; main family members are Puerto Rican, Afro Caribbean, and Mexican. VERDICT A must-buy for public and school libraries. Hand to readers who love magical realism and coming-of-age stories.--Maryjean Riou