ChupaCarter and the Haunted Piñata

March 1, 2023
A rash of mysterious fires sets Jorge and his amigos on the trail of an evil arsonist...or maybe a vengeful ghost. Being as his best friend, Carter, is the 7-foot tall, wolflike cryptid met in the series opener--and now just back in town--Jorge Lopez has trouble dismissing a scary old local legend about an evil incendiary pi�ata possessed by the ghost of a despised rich kid. Still, since the grown-ups in Boca Falls seem oddly uninterested in finding out who, human or otherwise, is burning down local businesses, Jorge nervously enlists his fanged but friendly buddy to join science-minded classmate Liza in an investigation that quickly turns up a positively bountiful array of clues and suspects. Seasoning the eponymous narrator's account with Spanish words, including flavorful Chicano slang, Lopez and Calejo alternate chuckles and chills as the young detectives struggle with their fears, fend off prankster "bully-jerk" Zane, puzzle over the significance of seemingly contradictory findings, and, in the wake of a string of (as Jorge puts it) "�bercreepy" incidents and narrow squeaks, wind up stuck in a ruinous old mansion with an entire gang of crazed villains eager to explain their motives before setting one final, deadly blaze. Guti�rrez's frequent monochrome illustrations feature both a racially diverse cast and action and dialogue that segue smoothly into the narrative, offering the feeling of a graphic novel-prose hybrid format. A fresh, lively escapade with lots of �bercreepy bits. ��rale! (Fantasy. 8-12)

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April 1, 2023
Grades 3-6 Comedian Lopez teams up with award-winning Calejo (the Charlie Hern�ndez series) in their second installment in the ChupaCarter series. Native Californian Jorge Lopez is finally feeling grounded in his new home of Boca Falls, New Mexico, and the company of best friends Ernie, Liza, and Carter (the chupacabra). Those happy feelings are quickly upended when mysterious fires and sightings of a haunted pi�ata materialize. Believing these events to be the works of the Blackbriar curse, which occurs every six years, the townspeople are on edge. Things only get worse when Liza's father's butcher shop goes up in flames. Convinced that an arsonist is afoot, Jorge and the gang decide to investigate this unnerving urban legend before their friendship falls victim to it. Lopez and Calejo have created another exciting adventure for young readers that is sprinkled with Spanish words and phrases. The humor in the story is elevated by Guti�rrez's artwork. A great reminder that you can count on your friends to help save the day.

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