Paola Santiago and the River of Tears

Starred review from June 22, 2020
Twelve-year-old Paola Santiago has always been more comfortable with science and logic than with her mother’s ghost stories, especially due to her history of vivid nightmares. When her friend Emma vanishes near the banks of Silver Spring, Ariz.’s Gila River, a place forbidden to Paola because of its history of mysterious disappearances, she and friend Dante investigate, only to be sucked into a realm where monsters out of her mother’s stories stalk them. The two find refuge with Los Niños de la Luz, an army of child warriors who guard the world’s liminal spaces. To track down Emma and save the world, the two must draw upon the strength of their friendship and confront a centuries-old tragedy. With this adventure, Mejia (We Set the Dark on Fire) draws upon her Latinx heritage to conjure creatures from folklore, such as chupacabras, La Llorona, and disembodied hands, arming Paola and her allies with fantastical weapons and layering in realistic plot points: socioeconomic and immigration concerns, the tension between science and superstition. Complicated emotional development is a particular strength—Paola wrestles with issues of anger and forgiveness, mother-daughter strife, and the new “boy-girl weirdness” between her and Dante en route to becoming a reluctant hero. Ages 8–12. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.

Narrator Frankie Corzo brings relatable warmth to this supernatural adventure. Twelve-year-old Paola's mother has warned her not to go near the river for fear of La Llorona, a legendary weeping ghost who drowns her victims. Pao and her friends, Emma and Dante, ignore the warnings--and then, Emma disappears. To rescue her, Pao and Dante embark on an adventure into a magical dreamworld full of frightening chupacabras and ghostly drowned children. Corzo's intensity matches the nonstop action, but distinct voices for the three friends also highlight the human interactions. The Spanish accent of Dante's abuela and effortless pronunciations of Spanish words and phrases add authenticity to the Mexican-American legend. Also fun is Rick Riordan's introduction, in which he shares his own childhood connection to the story. S.C. � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

March 1, 2021

Gr 3-7-Following the success of her lauded "We Set the Dark on Fire" duology, Mejia makes her middle grade debut, proving mothers are always right, ghosts exist, and La Llorona is legit. From 12 to eternal, desperate parent to dismissive cop, madwoman to murderer, narrator Frankie Corzo adapts effortlessly and distinctly to a growing cast of the living and dead. Tween trio Paola, Dante, and Emma plan to meet along the (forbidden) river to explore the stars, but Emma never shows. The worry is palpable: A kidnapper is on the loose, not to mention wailing La Llorona who's been drowning children for centuries. When the police prove dismissive (racist), Paola and Dante realize they're Emma's only hope. Armed with Dante's grandmother's crocheted bag and well-worn chancla, the pair is sucked into the unknown to save their friend. Self-proclaimed scientist Paola has spent her young life eschewing her mother's "fixation on all things supernatural," but at least some warnings sunk in because those inexplicable nightmares are becoming terrifyingly real. VERDICT With Corzo as her aural sidekick, Mejia's spectral Latinx adventure gets just the right #OwnVoices partnership.-Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon, Washington, DC

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