Genre: Spooky, Fantasy, Funny
Protagonists: Hispanic, Family, two boys and one girl
Reading Level: M (HarperChapters includes word counts and progress statistics and discussion questions at the back)
Series: The series is complete with six titles.
Originally reviewed October 2020
Review: Cousins Malia, Ivan, and Dante are visiting their Aunt Lucy in fictional Gulf City's Little Mexico neighborhood. They're just getting to know each other and Aunt Lucy suggests they take a trip to the neighborhood water park. They set off and on the way run into a sweet old lady. Or so she seems... when they follow her advice and take a shortcut, they find themselves on 13th street and under attack by monsters, including terrifying (and stinky) giant bats!
They work together to save themselves from the bats and get back to the real world, but is 13th street gone forever? Or just waiting for them to wander back and discover more monsters waiting...
This is mildly spooky, with a variety of creatures and a (somewhat) helpful ghost. It was great to see a group of Mexican-American kids (they speak of themselves this way, as does the author) and there are Spanish phrases and other cultural notes mixed into the story. At one point, Dante teases Ivan that he's "not very Mexican" because he doesn't know what chorizo is, and their aunt gently deflects him and Ivan stands up for himself. Black and white illustrations show Malia, a short, plump girl with exuberant hair and accepted as the leader by the boys; Dante, short and cheerful, with an upsweep of brown hair; and Ivan, tall and skinny with a tower of curly brown hair and a little prone to panic.
Verdict: Kids looking for mildly scary beginning chapter books will be thrilled with these. If they're past the spooky/silly of easy readers and not ready for James Prellers' Scary Tales or the classic Goosebumps, these are just right. Bonus for portraying Hispanic kids in a humorous/scary adventure!
Revisited: It took about a year, but these took off in the fall of 2021 and I ended up buying multiple copies. They are now a staple in my recommendations for schools and for kids looking for scary beginning chapters.
Originally reviewed in October 2020
ISBN: 9780062947796; Published July 2020 by HarperCollins; Purchased multiple copies for the library in paperback.
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