Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Hero archetypes
Heroine archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Tropes
Themes
Synopsis
Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents author Tehlor Kay Mejia's thrilling adventure based on the Mexican legend of La Llorona. *"A new hero's fantastic and fantastical adventure--her next appearance can't come soon enough."--KirkusReviews (starred review) 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. Part ghost story, part family story, and part hero quest, this exciting and imaginative tale will transport readers to another world.Endorsed by Rick Riordan, author of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, soon to be a series on Disney+.
Is Rick Riordan Presents appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 10 and up.
Parents should know this middle grade fantasy features scary supernatural elements including ghosts, monsters, and a drowned child, with moderate peril and suspense. The story celebrates Mexican culture and folklore while exploring themes of family, friendship, and balancing science with tradition.
What to know going in
This book has moderate violence, no sexual content, and clean language. Content notes include death, death of child, and grief (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Kids will love following space-obsessed Paola as she enters a supernatural world filled with monsters and ghosts to rescue her missing best friend, discovering that some legends might be real after all.