Paola Santiago and the River of Tears

Starred review from June 1, 2020
A 12-year-old girl must leave behind her preconceived notions of what is real if she wants to save her missing friend. Paola Santiago looks forward to summer days filled with daydreaming and "ponder[ing] algae or other fuel experiments" with her best friends, Dante and Emma, down at the riverbanks. Her mother has forbidden Pao from hanging out down at the Gila River, but Pao disregards her advice, as most of her mom's warnings include folkloric elements, like the fabled La Llorona. Pao, a self-professed scientist, cannot fathom believing in things like ghosts that have "no scientific basis to them." That is, until Pao and Dante wait in vain for Emma to show up at the river. Emma's disappearance, along with those of many other young people in the area, leads Pao and Dante on a journey that will shatter the laws of physics and other scientific truths Pao holds dear. As the duo searches for Emma, they will encounter lands and creatures that Pao held to be fictitious, along with her mother's beliefs, which Pao has often pushed away along with the connection to her Mexican ancestry. Mejia's writing is fast-paced and engaging, as the colorful imagery places readers in Southwestern cacti fields and in the tumultuous mindset of an insecure 12-year-old. For all its exploration of Pao's internal landscape, there is action aplenty. Dante is Latinx, like Pao; Emma is white. A new hero's fantastic and fantastical debut--her next appearance can't come soon enough. (Fantasy. 8-13)

COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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.

Starred review from August 1, 2020

Gr 5-8-Twelve-year-old Paola "Pao" Santiago lives in Silver Springs, AZ, with her besties Dante and Emma. Her mother strongly believes in ancestor ghosts and regional legends like La Llorona, a weeping ghost who drowns her victims in the Gila River. Pao appreciates science and evidence, a position she must question when Emma disappears. Pao and Dante search for her in a magical hinterland, where their dream guide Ondina steers them past frightening chupacabras and ghost children ahogados. They reach a camp with immortal child warriors who defend Silver Springs but fear an overwhelming assault. Pao departs the camp to find Emma, facing a battle with the ghosts' puppet master. Mejia's Mexican American myth succeeds both as an extended quest and a humorous contemporary story. Her real genius lies, however, in detailed yet effortless characterization. It takes mere pages before readers will know and love Pao. Pao is both a pragmatist and a dreamer. Her loyalty to Emma and her changing feelings for Dante feel well integrated with the action. Minor characters like Ondina and the camp children have stand-out moments. And who can resist Pao's acquisition of a demon hound? Character development, the Southwestern setting, and action share story space without seeming rushed. Spanish phrases, like those Dante's abuela uses to advise the children, are understandable to non-Spanish speakers in context. Readers may wonder why the unwed mother in the folktale is shunned and could benefit from a grown-up's explanation. VERDICT A warm, thrilling Mexican American adventure. An essential purchase.-Caitlin Augusta, Stratford Lib. Assoc., CT

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 1, 2020
Grades 5-8 *Starred Review* Paola Santiago is excited to spend the summer before seventh grade picnicking and stargazing near the Gila River with best friends Emma and Dante. Not even a string of local disappearances or the (embarrassing) warnings from Pao's mom are enough to keep them away from the river, so when Emma fails to meet Pao and Dante at their spot, they know she must be in trouble. As Pao tries to make sense of her spooky and increasingly accurate dreams, she realizes that she and Dante must find Emma before it's too late. Armed with a crocheted bag of tools, Pao and Dante set off to save their friend and find out whether all the warnings?about La Llorona, the wailing ghost woman, and other dark creatures from Latinx folklore?could be true. Readers will love following intelligent, science-loving Pao as she suspends disbelief and discovers that the supernatural may not be so impossible. As she journeys to save friends both old and new, Pao must deal with the changes that come with middle school, including the possibility that things won't always stay the same, and come to terms with her behavior as well as her relationship with her mom. This fast-paced journey into Latinx folklore, with its clever protagonist, is sure to keep readers turning pages into the night.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)