Lowriders to the Center of the Earth

May 15, 2016
The Lowriders in Space saga continues with an even crazier ride than the first.After an earthquake, Lupe the supermechanic impala, Elirio Malaria the mosquito, and El Chavo Flapjack the octopus realize that Genie the cat has gone missing. Trailing him in their galactic lowrider, they're soon stymied by an amazing maiz maze of gigantic corn, where a punny, Gandalf-like coyote relates a fractured-mythological tale of how the Aztec god of the underworld uses the maze to trap victims forever. Undeterred, the friends plunge into a cave, where they're surrounded by "metaphoric" rocks ("the building blocks of poets everywhere"). In the underworld, a gleefully bizarre and culturally dense adventure ensues. The friends meet the inconsolable, pre-Hispanic legend La Llorona, who believes Flappy is her lost child. Further in, they arrive at a macabre carnival midway where Day of the Dead references abound and the chupacabra drives a monster truck. When the gobsmacked companeros finally find the caged (but still intact) Genie, they also come face to face with their nemesis, lucha libre fanatic and god of the underworld Mictlantecuhtli ("Mic to you, idiotas!"). Lupe must wrestle him for her cat's freedom, but Genie has a surprise for everyone. Raul the Third's ultradetailed crosshatched artwork more than meets the demands of this cast-of-thousands comic opus. The copious Spanish vocabulary is defined in footnotes and again in a glossary in the backmatter.Satisfyingly over-the-top mayhem for all "low and slow" fans. (Graphic fantasy. 8-13)

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June 1, 2016

Gr 4-8-Lupe, Elirio, and Flapjack-an impala, a mosquito, and an octopus-work in a garage, repairing and detailing cars. When they discover their cat, Genie, is missing, they follow his tracks to a corn maze that turns out to be a trap used by the Aztec god Mictlantecuhtli to steal the skeletons of wayfarers. Can the trio challenge him in the underworld, rescue their pet, and return safely home? The artwork is intricate but accessible; the textures and colors invite imitation. The storytelling is inventive, juggling cultural references, surreal circumstances, and educational impulses. As in the previous volume, Lowriders in Space, the dialogue combines Spanish and English slang, with frequent footnotes and definitions for the Spanish terms. This reinforces a narrative distance created by the flat affect of the characters and the woodenness of the included vocabulary. Perhaps the book is trying to do too much, incorporating lucha libre, mythology, Day of the Dead imagery, fanciful geology lessons, and multilingual puns all into one narrative. Or perhaps readers just need to go along for the ride, bajito y suavecito. VERDICT A jumble of creative ambition, the compelling visuals and scattershot storytelling will appeal to those not distracted by the roller-coaster plotting and jagged, more-is-more approach. Purchase where the first installment is popular.-Benjamin Russell, Belmont High School, NH

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2016
Grades 3-6 After winning the contest and raising enough money to open their own garage in Lowriders in Space (2014), Lupe Impala, El Chavo Flapjack, and Elirio Malaria are happily working on cars all day. But when an earthquake strikes and their beloved gatito, Genie, goes missing, they load up their ranfla and follow the trail of tiny cat paw prints. That trail leads them through a gigantic corn maze, toward a volcano, and right into the bone-strewn Realm of the Dead, lorded over by the terrifying Mictlantecuhti, the Aztec god of the underworld, who's got his evil heart set on collecting the bones of our valiant trio and their gato. Raul's boisterous, high-octane artwork, stunning in blue, black, red, and green ballpoint pen, matches the manic energy of the story, and when the Lowriders take on Mictlantechuti in a lucha libre bust-up, his no-holds-barred style really shines. While the high-flying pace means that some story elements seem a bit rushed, the wild antics, exuberant illustrations, and frequent Spanish will launch the Lowriders straight into many hearts.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)