Paola Santiago and the River of Tears

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Author(s)

Tehlor Kay Mejia

Publisher

Rick Riordan Presents

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

August 04, 2020

ISBN

9781368049177

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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.

Editor reviews

2 reviews

Adventurous and spooky middle grade

August 03, 2020

Overall rating

3.0

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Paola “Pao” Santiago loves science and hanging out with her best friends, Emma and Dante. She doesn’t love how superstitious her mom is and how she isn’t allowed to go near the river because of La Llorona. The friends made a plan one night to meet up at the river to look through Emma’s telescope, but when Emma doesn’t show, Pao knows something is off. The adults, especially the police officer who said she was making up stories about Emma being missing, aren’t helping until Dante’s grandmother starts doing magic and telling them they only have a few days to save Emma before it’s too late. Armed with Florida water, a slipper, and a bag, Pao and Dante cross into a mysterious space by the river full of monsters, lost kids, and danger in order to rescue their own lost friend.

PAOLA SANTIAGO AND THE RIVER OF TEARS has all the trademark signatures of the Rick Riordan Presents line: mysterious parentage, folklore, humor, and action. What I love about this line is that even with several common staples, every book is completely unique and has its own style. Author Tehlor Kay Mejia has a distinct, sharp voice that fits Paola perfectly, and the tale of La Llorona is only the beginning of this rich world.

My hands down favorite part of this novel is Paola herself. She’s beautifully flawed in a way that middle grade girls are rarely given the space to be. Paola is jealous, petty, angry, and has a razor sharp tongue. She’s also loyal, brave, witty, and passionate about science. We see her begin the hard journey of accepting all parts of yourself and finding a balance amongst them. I love her interactions with her mom and Dante especially as they navigate new and unfamiliar spaces. Mejia incorporates themes of family conflict, friendship, first crushes, injustice, and more.

Unfortunately, the plot and pace didn’t work as well for me. The beginning started off moving at a steady pace, but goes down several notches for the majority of the middle. It picks up again at the end with an epic confrontation scene, but it was a slow journey to get there. Similarity, the middle introduced multiple confusing plot lines, and I had to reread many chapters multiple times to figure out what was going on.

Overall, if you’re looking for a middle grade book with daring adventure, strong characterization, layered world building, and themes of family and friendship, PAOLA SANTIAGO AND THE RIVER OF TEARS is a solid choice.