Paola Santiago and the River of Tears (Paola Santiago #1)

by Tehlor Kay Mejia (Author)

Paola Santiago and the River of Tears (Paola Santiago #1)
Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade
Series: Paola Santiago

Space-obsessed 12-year-old Paola Santiago and her two best friends, Emma and Dante, know the rule: Stay away from the river. It's all they've heard since a schoolmate of theirs drowned a year ago. Pao is embarrassed to admit that she has been told to stay away for even longer than that, because her mother is constantly warning her about La Llorona, the wailing ghost woman who wanders the banks of the Gila at night, looking for young people to drag into its murky depths. Hating her mother's humiliating superstitions and knowing that she and her friends would never venture into the water, Pao organizes a meet-up to test out her new telescope near the Gila, since it's the best stargazing spot. But when Emma never arrives and Pao sees a shadowy figure in the reeds, it seems like maybe her mom was right. . . .

Pao has always relied on hard science to make sense of the world, but to find her friend she will have to enter the world of her nightmares, which includes unnatural mist, mind-bending monsters, and relentless spirits controlled by a terrifying force that defies both logic and legend.

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Kirkus

Starred Review
 A new hero’s fantastic and fantastical debut—her next appearance can’t come soon enough.

ALA/Booklist

Starred Review
This fast-paced journey into Latinx folklore, with its clever protagonist, is sure to keep readers turning pages into the night.

Publishers Weekly

Starred Review

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. (Aug.)

Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

Starred Review

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.

Review quotes



Tehlor Kay Mejia
TEHLOR KAY MEJIA is a bestselling and award winning author of young adult and middle grade fiction. Their books include WE SET THE DARK ON FIRE, which received six starred reviews; PAOLA SANTIAGO AND THE RIVER OF TEARS, which is in development at Disney as a television series to be produced by Eva Longoria; and SAMMY ESPINOZA'S LAST REVIEW, their adult debut. Tehlor strives to create stories which showcase the importance of community, radical inclusion, and abolitionist values. They live with their child, partner, and two small dogs in their home state of Oregon.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781368049177
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Rick Riordan Presents
Publication date
August 04, 2020
Series
Paola Santiago
BISAC categories
JUV058000 - Juvenile Fiction | Paranormal, Occult & Supernatural
JUV018000 - Juvenile Fiction | Horror
JUV069000 - Juvenile Fiction | Ghost Stories
JUV012070 - Juvenile Fiction | Legends, Myths, Fables | Caribbean & Latin American
Library of Congress categories
Friendship
Arizona
Missing persons
Supernatural
Paranormal fiction
Horror stories
Monsters
Best friends
Mexican Americans
Horror tales
Llorona (Legendary character)
Gila River (N.M. and Ariz.)

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