Lola

Written by Karla Arenas Valenti 

 

Publisher: ‎Knopf Books for Young Readers

Language: ‎English

Hardcover: ‎256 pages

ISBN-10: ‎0593177002

ISBN-13: ‎978-0593177006

Reading age: ‎8 - 12 years

 

A simmering tale of magic, adventure, and the extraordinary bond between a brother and sister who'd journey to the ends of the Earth to save each other. From the acclaimed author of Lotería comes a heartfelt story rooted in Mexican magical realism.

 

Ten-year-old Lola has always been touched by magic. In her Mexico City home, built around a towering tree, she is accustomed to enchanted blooms that change with the seasons, a sandbox that spits out mysterious treasures, and mischievous chaneques that scuttle about unseen by all but her. Magic has always been a part of her life, but now she must embrace the extraordinary as never before.

 

Ever since The Thing That Happened, Lola's brother Alex has been sick. As his condition worsens, something begins eating away at the tree, causing its leaves and blossoms to crumble like ash. The two are related, Lola is sure of it, but how? Seeking a cure, she visits a grocery store oracle who bids her to follow the chaneques down one of their secret passages... into a hidden world.

 

Here in Floresta, a land of myths and monsters and marvels untold, lies the key to healing her brother. But the kingdom's young queen stands in the way. Lola must use her wits and face her deepest fears if there's any hope of saving Alex in time.

 

Review

  

"A quest undertaken for love and healing, replete alike with astonishing marvels and provocative themes." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

 

"The fantasy here is vividly imagined, but the story itself is ultimately real, painful, and achingly beautiful." —The Bulletin, starred review

 

“Readers will be lining up to get this book. A must-read for all upper elementary and middle school fantasy fans.” —School Library Journal, starred review

 

 "A truly enchanting adventure that both enthralls and entertains.” —Booklist, starred review

 

"Valenti skillfully incorporates magical realism into this captivating tale, taking the reader on a memorable journey through a different world." —The Horn Book

 

 

Karla Arenas Valenti is an award-winning author who writes stories for and about kids, taking readers on journeys steeped in magical realism and philosophical questions. Her storytelling is heavily influenced by her Mexican heritage and layered with ideas and concepts she's picked up in her many travels around the world. She currently resides in the Chicagoland area with her husband and three kids, two cats, and hundreds of books. Karla received the Pura Belpré author award for her middle grade novel, Lola, and three starred reviews for her debut, Loteria. She has also written several picture books including Esperanza Caramelo: The Star of Nochebuena.

 

Invitation to the Portrait Studio

An Offer I Can't Refuse 

Michael Sedano

It's an early morning call. Would I like to sit for a portrait in a few hours at a workshop in Margaret Garcia’s Northeast Los Angeles studio? Knowing I'd regret turning her down, I jump on the offer and call my friend Thelma Reyna to join me for an hour of fascinating immersion into the world of Chicanarte. Garcia's one of the foremost creators in Chicano painting with a tradition of outstanding portraiture. I cannot miss the experience and want to share it with my friend.

I’m the second sitter in Margaret Garcia’s (link) envisioned portrait series. I sit facing her, we chat and the artist probes and creates with questions and brush and color.

Four other painters, Bonnie Lambert, Lynn Dwyer, David Balfour and Lupe Arellano, paint me from their perspective seated in a semicircle surrounding my easy chair. While the other artists paint on stretched canvas, Garcia works on a wooden box.

David Balfour, Lynn Dwyer, Bonnie Lambert finding inspiration 

Garcia visualizes this series of portraits on gallery walls, their stories so compelling the images thrust out from the flat substrate to demand attention while creating a narrative mosaic of people seen at critical junctures of their lives.

 

Garcia and I chat desultorily about her process. She’s well aware my critical moment is being a refugee from the fearful Eaton Fire that ravaged my community and destroyed my home. 

Garcia’s portrait of me tells of the lingering horror of fire while distilling an hour’s sitting into the singular image laid bare on the back of that box.

It's going to be a memorable exhibition. Third in the series will be a woman, wife of an accomplished painter, who faces the chaos looming over Chicanos and Mexicans from the current U.S. campaign of racist terror.

Arte makes a difference. Los Angeles and Garcia’s community are filled with stories and Margaret Garcia’s brush will find the most compelling ones as she rounds out this series of portraits. 

For more information on artist Margaret Garcia, click here.

Melinda Palacio sits for a book cover.

Ventura Museo Exhibition.

Los Angeles Major Retrospective.