When they go for their daily swim in the Rio Bravo, Odilia and her four sisters would never in their wildest dreams imagine that a dead man would come floating down the river, and the journey he would take them on. After the initial shock of the discovery, the cinco hermanitas fish the dead body out of the water and investigate. He lived in Mexico, and a few of the sisters have the crazy idea of taking him back to his family—not tell the authorities or their mamá, and nothing bad will happen. That was their plan. What Odilia didn’t know was that the next day they would be driving to Mexico, to do exactly that. None of them knew it would take longer than a day, and they would encounter many obstacles along the way. Things take a turn for the worse, and they seek help wherever they can. But some of the “help” is leading them straight into a trap… In McCall’s second novel reminiscent of The Odyssey, five sisters forever together embark on a journey that is not quite as easy as it seems. My thoughts: This book was very unique. I really did enjoy it. The idea of this book is awesome—uh, yeah, PLEASE give me a cool Aztec folktale modern odyssey retelling! I loved the mystery of it all—the dad is nowhere to be found, and how is the mom going to react when she finds out her five daughters have gone missing? There was this part at the quinceañera where dread washed over me and THINGS WENT DOWN. I had a few minor problems with this book: the characters, and the transition. Ok, the characters. I am sorry, but they have SUCH bad judgement. I figured things out like 30 pages before they did and I kept waiting for the moment when they would realize. Yeah, follow that talking donkey who says he knows how to get you where you want to go, right after someone warns you of a warlock who is in an innocent disguise. I mean really. And that is NOT the only time that happened. Next, the book started out realistically. Then, all of the sudden, creepy owls and chupacabras and Aztec goddesses come and you’re like, “Huh?” But even after those problems, I have to give this book a good rating because I just loved reading it and it was such an interesting and lovely story.
Summer of the Mariposas
By Guadalupe Garcia Mccall
| Interest Level | Reading Level | Reading A-Z | ATOS | Word Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grades 6 - 8 | Grades 4 - 6 | n/a | 5.4 | 84553 |
When Odilia and her four sisters find a dead body in the swimming hole, they embark on a hero's journey to return the dead man to his family in Mexico. But returning home to Texas turns into an odyssey that would rival Homer s original tale. With the supernatural aid of ghostly La Llorona via a magical earring, Odilia and her little sisters travel a road of tribulation to their long-lost grandmother s house. Along the way, they must outsmart a witch and her Evil Trinity: a wily warlock, a coven of vicious half-human barn owls, and a bloodthirsty livestock-hunting chupacabras. Can these fantastic trials prepare Odilia and her sisters for what happens when they face their final test, returning home to the real world, where goddesses and ghosts can no longer help them? Summer of the Mariposas is not just a magical Mexican American retelling of The Odyssey, it is a celebration of sisterhood and maternal love."