Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time
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Columbian Mythology and Family Trauma

The Enchanted Life of Valentina Mejía by Alexandra Alessandri

April 6, 2025 by cosbrarian Leave a Comment

Valentina, her brother Julian, and her father are hiking the Columbian jungle to track down a vampire. Well, that’s what her father’s doing. Valentina is along for the ride, trying not to be embarrassed about her father and brother’s belief in Columbian folk creatures, and taking the opportunity to practice her drawing. But during the trip, Valentina has a visceral premonition: “The earth is not happy.” She urges her family to leave, but they are caught in a violent earthquake. The kids and their dad […]

Filed Under: Fiction Tagged With: #fantasy, alexandra alessandri, children's book, Columbia, folklore, generational trauma, Latino, Latinx, middle grade, mythology

cosbrarian's CBR17 Review No:19 · Genres: Fiction · Tags: #fantasy, alexandra alessandri, children's book, Columbia, folklore, generational trauma, Latino, Latinx, middle grade, mythology ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

“Every Time Something Doesn’t Happen, It Means Something Else Can”

What If A Fish by Anika Fajardo

August 19, 2020 by Ale 1 Comment

While I’m not usually a reader of middle-grade fiction, this debut novel came across my Facebook feed, as one of my cohorts from my MFA program was its editor! I bought it immediately and was so charmed by this adorable story. What if A Fish follows Little Eddie Aguado, an eleven-year-old Colombian American who feels neither Colombian or American. As he struggles to find his place in the world, he comes across a fishing medal owned by his late-father that sets him on an adventure […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Fiction, Young Adult Tagged With: Anika Fajardo, cbr12bingo, Columbia, debut, fishing, Hispanic Heritage, middle grade, Own voices, travel

Ale's CBR12 Review No:16 · Genres: Children's Books, Fiction, Young Adult · Tags: Anika Fajardo, cbr12bingo, Columbia, debut, fishing, Hispanic Heritage, middle grade, Own voices, travel ·
Rating:
· 1 Comment


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