Karla Arenas Valenti

Clara is unaware that her destiny and that of her young cousin Esteban, lie in the hands of Life and Death, a man and woman who are playing a leisurely game of loteria, while they discuss choice vs fate. The outcome of the game will determine if Clara lives or dies. It's not nearly as simple as that though. While trapped in Las Pozas,Clara and Esteban make choices that lead to consequences dire and fortunate. It is Clara who throws a twist into what Life and Death thought they knew about show more choice and fate. An intricate book that can be enjoyed on different levels: an introduction to free will and determinism; adventure story; ghost story; and a form of fantasy. . show less

Who doesn't love a book about a strong female character? Especially a girl like me who grew up needing some strong female influences!

Marie Curie and the Power of Persistence is a wonderful, little book that is a must read for children.

To begin with, there is a super, evil villain who has decided the best way to ruin the world is to stop the spread of knowledge! This monster is big, mean and scary and seems to be content with his super devious plan. In walks Marie Curie, a woman who will show more turn into a superhero scientist through her amazing intelligence and experiments! Our evil villain wants Marie Curie stopped before she can get too smart and stop his wicked plans. Along the way, we will learn how Marie Curie is full of persistence in many different ways!

This little book is a wonderful mix of fiction and non-fiction. There's lots of learning opportunities about this super scientist scattered among the pages. Definitions, facts and timelines about Marie Curie and information about the things she studied and created are all available to see. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a good STEM book for their kids, especially since it's about Marie Curie. She was a legend!

Also: references... in a children's book... I LOVE IT.

On a side note, I thought the pictures were lovely and very unique. I haven't seen this style a lot in children's books, so I was impressed. It was colourful, fun and had lots of awesome details.

I am so thankful for this book. It is absolutely amazing and I wish I would have had books like this in my youth. Hopefully many kids are able to pick this book up or many educators get their hands on it! Seriously, we need more books like this - educational and fun!

Five out of five stars!

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Explore for giving me the opportunity to read this amazing book! show less

There's little room for boredom as the tale heads from one difficult situation to the next, while throwing in insights into Mexican legends and myths.

Twins Emma and Martin are as different as different could be, which can cause tensions, but that's nothing to what they are now facing. When their father lands a dream job in Chicago, that means moving away from their beloved home in Mexico to the United States. To help them keep their ties to Mexico, their abuela gives them a book over Mexican show more legends. Soon, the twins discover it's actually magical. The book takes them to ancient Texcoco, where the lightning bolt has been stolen from the god of rain. He refuses to stop the heavy rainfall until his bolt is returned, and somehow, the twins need to accomplish this or history will see the end of Texcoco and be radically altered.

This is an exciting beginning to what promises to be a fun series. The twins make a wonderful duo and a pair of heroes, who are easy to connect with and root for. There is little depth to the characters, allowing the plot to push every page forward. The tale races along, making sure something is always happening. The book seems to aim more for the lower end of the middle grade audience and offers a buffer between shorter chapter books and deeper middle grade novels. This makes it a lovely read even for more reluctant readers.

Mexican legends come to life in a fun and adventurous way. While readers learn a bit about history and legends, it's kept light. Descriptions are held to a minimum, which fits well to this younger audience, and while a little more would have added richness, the balance keeps the tale entertaining. There are also nods to a thief, which promises much more to come and adds a clever way to bond the series. It will be fun to see where the twins head next. I received a DRC and can't wait to see where book two heads. show less

María is a new immigrant about to start school, and she's a little nervous until she spies a monarch butterfly who gives her metaphorical wings that bring her courage.

This was a title that I wanted to like more than I did. It's not a bad book, but it just wasn't quite as compelling as I wanted it to be. One thing that threw me off right away was that María is described as "brand new" to the city but she somehow immediately knows all the neighbors by name already?

Anyhow, María continues show more along her day going to school and feeling increasingly more dejected as it's hard for her to fit in -- until she meets another lonely girl and decides to befriend her. (In the author's note at the back of the book, this child is given a name but she's not identified with it during the main text.)

I loved the idea of the metaphorical wings bringing inspiration, courage, and the pride of one's heritage. However, I felt like the illustrations let this concept down just a little bit because the wings weren't as bold as they could be. In general, the illustrations were not in a style I like at all and that was real off-putting for me.

Backmatter includes a heartfelt author's note and some sparse information about monarch butterflies. show less