United States

Materials from United States of America

Kid Cyclone Fights The Devil And Other Stories / Kid Ciclon Se Enfrenta A El Diablo Y Otras Historias

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.

The Witches Of Ruidoso


In the last years of the nineteenth century, in the western territory that would become New Mexico, two young people become constant companions. They roam the ancient country of mysterious terrain, where the mountain looms and reminds them of their insignificance, and observe the eccentric characters in the village: Mr. Blackwater, known as “No Leg Dancer” by the Apaches because of the leg he lost in the War Between the States and his penchant for blowing reveille on his bugle each morning; their friend, Two Feather, the Mescalero Apache boy who takes Beth Delilah to meet his wise old grandfather who sees mysterious things; and Senora Roja, who everyone believes is a bruja, or witch, and who they know to be vile and evil.

House Held Up by Trees

When the house was new, not a single tree remained on its perfect lawn to give shade from the sun. The children in the house trailed the scent of wild trees to neighboring lots, where thick bushes offered up secret places to play. When the children grew up and moved away, their father, alone in the house, continued his battle against blowing seeds, plucking out sprouting trees. Until one day the father, too, moved away, and as the empty house began its decline, the trees began their approach. At once wistful and exhilarating, this lovely, lyrical story evokes the inexorable passage of time — and the awe-inspiring power of nature to lift us up

Carlos And The Squash Plant / Carlos Y La Planta De Calabaza

Having ignored his mother’s warnings about what will happen if he doesn’t bathe after working on his family’s New Mexican farm, Carlos awakens one morning to find a squash growing out of his ear.

Alicia’s Fruity Drinks; Las aguas frescas de Alicia

After enjoying a blended fruit drink called aguas frescas during a festival celebrating Mexico’s independence, seven-year-old Alicia and her mother make their own at home, then invite Alicia’s soccer team over to try them.

Alicia’s Fruity Drinks/Las aguas frescas de Alicia has been discussed in My Take/Your Take for September 2020.

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.