One day in a small California barrio, a scary-looking stranger with an ugly scar on his face arrives. Silence falls on the streets. Normally raucous children stop playing, and their fearful mothers quickly beckon them inside. Everyone peeks out of windows and doors to watch the stranger walk down Main Street. Later in the week, the stranger again appears in town. And a few days later, on a pleasant Sunday morning, the man shows his frightening face yet again. But this time, he’s not alone. Cradled in the stranger’s arms is a big, red rooster with a yellow ribbon tied around its neck. When the rooster sets off after a bug with the stranger hanging on to the ribbon “like a cowboy who had lassoed a wild bull,” the townspeople are finally able to look past the long, ugly scar on the stranger’s face. Echoing the oral tradition common to so many Latinos, acclaimed author Victor Villaseñor shares with young readers one of his father’s favorite stories. With vibrant illustrations by José Jara, this will soon become the favorite of many children aged 3 to 7.
Humor
Crazy Loco
Lively, fascinating, and often laugh-out-loud funny, this short story collection provides an intimate glimpse into the life of Mexican American kids in South Texas. From the tale of a boy’s first crush to that of a girl who yearns to see more of the world, from the feud between Texas brothers and their California cousins to the exploits of a reluctant altar boy, from a poignant reminiscence about a family’s maid to a zany tale of a car-crazy dog, this collection is a whirlwind of insight and entertainment. Loosely based on the author’s own Mexican American childhood, Crazy Loco depicts a South Texas full of charm, humor and energy.
Featured in Volume VI, Issue 1 of WOW Review.
Frida Maria
Two six-page gate folds and fresco-like paintings enhance the drama, and the fun, of the strong-willed Frida Maria’s preparations–with her horse, Diablo–for the fiesta, her attempts to please Mama by behaving properly, and her decision concerning a high-stakes race.
Julian Rodriguez Episode Two: Invasion Of The Relatives
When last we encountered Julian Rodriguez, he’d saved Earth from destruction by bending to the will of his archenemy, Evilomami, and taking out the dreaded trash. In this episode, our hero must don an absurd ceremonial costume and risk contamination at the hands of The Relatives, a band of crude, genetically linked mini-brains. Yet again, Julian saves Earth from total annihilation after he realizes that the planet has at least one redeeming quality — the Earthling delicacy known as empanadas, which his Alpha Nana just happens to be serving for dinner. PRAISE FOR JULIAN RODRIGUEZ EPISODE ONE: “First in what readers will hope will be a robust series, this hybrid of fiction and graphic novel dusts off a favorite conceit with a slick swipe of edgy visuals and tart commentary. . . . It’s impossible to read this without laughing.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review
Nerdlandia
A humorous play in which Martin, a Chicano nerd, undergoes a transformation with the help of his friends and experiences true love. Includes a glossary of Spanish words and phrases used in the dialogue.
Off and Running
The biggest race of the school year is on! Fifth-grader Miata Ramirez is running for class president. Her best friend, Ana, is her running mate. The girls are stunned when they learn they are running against class clown Rudy Herrera and his friend Alex. At first Miata is certain she will win the election. She has big plans to make the school a better place. She’ll clean up the graffiti, plant flowers and trees, and get computers. Rudy’s confident he’ll get votes by promising longer recess periods and selling the students ice cream every day. Miata is serious and means business. But the boys are funnier and louder. The girls think if they quickly change their image, they’ll get those extra votes. But the election is just a few days away. Readers will catch election fever as the boys square off against the girls in Gary Soto’s latest novel featuring Miata Ramirez from The Skirt and Rudy Herrera from The Pool Party.
Julian Rodriguez Episode One
Julian Rodriguez is on a mission for the Mothership. He’s been sent to Earth to study human lifeforms and their bizarre habits–from their disgusting diet (orange sticks named carrots, flavorless liquid called water, and the revolting substance known as vegi-dogs) to their repressive treatment of their young (forcing them to carry out menial tasks known as chores, withholding access to the great cultural masterpieces called cartoons). When Julian’s Maternal Unit assigns a hideous task, it’s nearly too much for the hardened space veteran to bear–but he finds his courage at last. * “First in what readers will hope will be a robust series, this hybrid of fiction and graphic novel dusts off a favorite conceit with a slick swipe of edgy visuals and tart commentary….It’s impossible to read this without laughing.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Millicent Min: Girl Genius
Millicent Min is having a bad summer. Her fellow high school students hate her for setting the curve. Her fellow 11-year-olds hate her for going to high school. And her mother has arranged for her to tutor Stanford Wong, the poster boy for Chinese geekdom. But then Millie meets Emily. Emily doesn’t know Millicent’s IQ score. She actually thinks Millie is cool. And if Millie can hide her awards, ignore her grandmother’s advice, swear her parents to silence, blackmail Stanford, and keep all her lies straight, she just might make her first friend.
The Story Of King Kabul The First And Gawain The Kitchen Boy (French Modernist Library)
In the first story, a clever young man uses his culinary talents to win the hand of a princess, and in the second, a cripple sets off on a fantastic journey that leads him to the amazing court of the drunken King Cocambo.
The Unfinished Angel
Peoples are strange! The things they are doing and saying—sometimes they make no sense. Did their brains fall out of their heads? And why so much saying, so much talking all the time day and night, all those words spilling out of those mouths? Why so much? Why don’t they be quiet? In the ancient stone tower of the Casa Rosa, in a tiny village high in the Swiss Alps, life for one angel has been the same, well, for as long as she (or he?) can remember. Until Zola arrives, a determined American girl who wears three skirts all at once. For neighbors who have been longtime enemies, children who have been lost, and villagers who have been sleepily living their lives: hold on. Zola and the angel are about to collide. Figs start flying, dogs start arfing, and the whole village begins to wake up. Zola is a girl with a mission. And our angel has been without one—till now. This hilarious and endearing novel by Newbery Medal winner Sharon Creech reminds us that magic is found in the most ordinary acts of kindness.