Cousins Maya and Vincent are thrilled to be ring side at a lucha libre match. Kid Cyclone, the wrestling world’s favorite hero who also happens to be the kids’s beloved uncle, is facing off against a devil-masked opponent, El Diablo. No masked devil can beat my uncle. Not even the real devil himself, declares Maya. But the real devil doesn¿t take kindly to such disrespect, and soon Kid Cyclone finds himself fighting the most hellish challenger of all! Popular kids¿ book author Xavier Garza returns with another collection of stories featuring spooky characters from Mexican-American folklore. There¿s a witch that takes the shape of a snake in order to poison and punish those who disregard her warnings; green-skinned, red-eyed creatures called chupacabras that suck the blood from wild pigs, but would just as soon suck the blood from a human who has lost his way in the night; a young girl disfigured in a fire set by a scorned lover who gets her revenge as the Donkey Lady; and the Elmendorf Beast, said to have the head of a wolf with skin so thick it’s impervious to shotgun blasts.
Intermediate (ages 9-14)
Material appropriate for intermediate age groups
Gaby, Lost And Found
Wanted: One amazing forever home for one amazing sixth grader.”My name is Gaby, and I’m looking for a home where I can invite my best friend over and have a warm breakfast a couple of times a week. Having the newest cell phone or fancy clothes isn’t important, but I’d like to have a cat that I can talk to when I’m home alone.” Gaby Ramirez Howard loves volunteering at the local animal shelter. She plays with the kittens, helps to obedience train the dogs, and writes adoption advertisements so that the strays who live there can find their forever homes: places where they’ll be loved and cared for, no matter what. Gaby has been feeling like a bit of a stray herself, lately. Her mother has recently been deported to Honduras and Gaby is stuck living with her inattentive dad. She’s confident that her mom will come home soon so that they can adopt Gaby’s favorite shelter cat together. When the cat’s original owners turn up at the shelter, however, Gaby worries that her plans for the perfect family are about to fall apart.
The Day My Father Became a Bush
A clear-eyed, funny, and off-beat novel about a girl making sense of a baffling world. Toda’s father has gone away to fight in the war. Luckily, he’s read about camouflage and will be able to hide from the enemy by disguising himself as a bush. Toda is sent to stay with her mother where it’ll be safer. Her journey across the border is full of danger and adventure, but she doesn’t give up. She has to find her mother.
Small Hands, Big Hands: Seven Profiles of Chicano Migrant Workers and Their Families
Seven migrant workers, ranging in age from eleven to sixty-seven, tell what it is like to live in agricultural labor camps.
Maximilian & the Bingo Rematch
Everybody is fighting in sixth-grader Maximilian’s world as his elderly aunts battle for the Queen Bingo trophy, his masked uncles wrestle for the tag-team title of the world, and his sweetheart and the “new girl” battle for Max’s heart.
Maximilian & the Bingo Rematch is the sequel to Maximilian & the Mystery of the Guardian Angel.
The Ogress and the Snake and Other Stories from Somalia
For millennia, Somalia has been crossed and recrossed by camel caravans of merchants bringing stories with them. Elizabeth Laird heard most of these oral retellings in Jigjiga, the capital of Ethiopia’s Somali region, in gardens, bars, small huts and beautiful old Harari houses. Some of them are written down here for the very first time.
The Arab World Thought of It
Photos and well-researched information provide an overview of contributions made in the fields of medicine, architecture, food, and education by people in the Arab world. Also included is a look at accomplishments in the areas of engineering, transportation, and oil production. Complete with maps, a timeline, an index, and a list of further reading, this book is an excellent starting point for the exploration of a thriving culture.
When the Rivers Go Home
Describes life in the marsh in Brazil known as the Pantanal or “drowned forest.”
El Terror De Sexto “B” Y Otras Historias Del Colegio
The seven stories that make up this work tell about situations that occur inside and outside the classroom, such as the moment of a first kiss, the most daring kid in the class, the girl who can t stand gym class, and the boy who is in love but doesn’t know how to show it. The book manages two things uncommonly found in a single book: to interest and to entertain. Its author has written real, fresh stories of school days which any student (or teacher) can identify with.
Cuchilla
Guillermo Lafuente is the most feared teacher in school, so much so, he is called “Chuchilla” (The Knife) by his students. His life is about to change, though, as he receives a series of secret messages …