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bbdani's review
adventurous
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
brancrisp's review
5.0
Enchanting and magical and wonderful and full of hope. This was exactly the adventure I needed. I highly recommend Danny and Pili’s story and hope there are many more tales for them and Glory!
tammie's review
3.0
Read- August 2020 for the N.E.W.Ts (My A in Transfiguration- Animal on the cover)
- I haven't had the best experience with Zoraida Cordova as an author (I've been trying to get through Incendiary for months) so I was a bit nervous going into this book because I didn't know how I would feel about it but I ended up actually enjoying it.
Siblings Danny and Pili have been in the foster care system for years. Always being passed from group home to group home, family to family, group home to family and back to group home. There have been together their whole lives but Danny is sent to live with a family by himself and whilst he is there Pili leaves the group home and can't be found. Everyone keeps telling him that she is a runaway but he doesn't believe it, he knows that Pili is waiting for him in Rio Luna. The island from their favourite stories.
He believes in the magic for years but he has started to give up hope. His faith is dimming. He goes on a school trip to a library and just as he is beginning to lose hope he discovers a mysterious book that leads him on a magical journey, one that might take him back to his sister.
- I haven't had the best experience with Zoraida Cordova as an author (I've been trying to get through Incendiary for months) so I was a bit nervous going into this book because I didn't know how I would feel about it but I ended up actually enjoying it.
Siblings Danny and Pili have been in the foster care system for years. Always being passed from group home to group home, family to family, group home to family and back to group home. There have been together their whole lives but Danny is sent to live with a family by himself and whilst he is there Pili leaves the group home and can't be found. Everyone keeps telling him that she is a runaway but he doesn't believe it, he knows that Pili is waiting for him in Rio Luna. The island from their favourite stories.
He believes in the magic for years but he has started to give up hope. His faith is dimming. He goes on a school trip to a library and just as he is beginning to lose hope he discovers a mysterious book that leads him on a magical journey, one that might take him back to his sister.
andrealage's review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
marziesreads's review
4.0
Popular YA author Zoraida Cordova's ([b:Incendiary|13502970|Incendiary (The Premonition, #4)|Amy A. Bartol|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1352268218l/13502970._SX50_.jpg|19051459], [b:Brooklyn Brujas|27969087|Labyrinth Lost (Brooklyn Brujas, #1)|Zoraida Córdova|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1499886128l/27969087._SY75_.jpg|42472829]) first foray into juvenile fiction is a book with an affecting plot. Danny Monteverde and his sister Pili are orphaned and in foster care. Shuttled from foster home to foster home, around the time Danny turns nine years old, they are separated. Pili, his older sister, goes to a group home. Danny is placed with a family that just doesn't care about much of anything. When Pili disappears from the group home, Danny is told by their social worker Mrs. Contreras that Pili must have run away. Danny's sole connection to his sister and their life together is his treasured fairy tale book, "The Way to Rio Luna" by Ella St. Clair. It's actually a rare book, as only a thousand copies were printed and the publishing house burned down, so no more could be printed. Danny takes comfort in reading the fairy tales, imagining a life in which he can slip away to Rio Luna and be magically reunited with Pili. He takes comfort that is until his odious foster father Mr. Finnegan tosses the book in the trash and informs him that it's "for his own good," which it's so obviously not. After several further foster family sorrows and a few years without Pili, Danny goes on a magical school field trip to the New York Public Library where, lo and behold, he finds an original copy (with her handwriting!) of Ella St. Clair's beloved "The Way to Rio Luna" with the help of magical golden arrows that direct him to it. When the book appears in his backpack, he doesn't know what to think. He also doesn't know what to think about the girl who knows all about the book, Glory Papillon, who can see the magical fairy dust that shines for him from it. Can the book help Danny find the way to Pili? Of course, you know it will.
This was a lovely read, though I felt on the one hand that it read as a tale too young for middle graders but some of the foster family aspects might be worrisome to younger children. I'd suggest it as a good fit for grades 4-5, ages 9-10. I've seen various statements that this is first in a series (Kirkus Reviews) but haven't seen much indication that it is. These characters have a lot of charm and would likely be enjoyed by young readers in a series. The diversity expressed in the characters is a welcome aspect for parents looking for BIPOC representation independent reading books for young children. I wish Scholastic would think about an audiobook edition of the book. It would improve the accessibility for children with reading and vision challenges.
I received a paper review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This was a lovely read, though I felt on the one hand that it read as a tale too young for middle graders but some of the foster family aspects might be worrisome to younger children. I'd suggest it as a good fit for grades 4-5, ages 9-10. I've seen various statements that this is first in a series (Kirkus Reviews) but haven't seen much indication that it is. These characters have a lot of charm and would likely be enjoyed by young readers in a series. The diversity expressed in the characters is a welcome aspect for parents looking for BIPOC representation independent reading books for young children. I wish Scholastic would think about an audiobook edition of the book. It would improve the accessibility for children with reading and vision challenges.
I received a paper review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
alenka's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is a really sweet, emotional story about Danny Monteverde, a young orphan who believes strongly in magic. He and his sister Pili were stuck in the foster system together after losing their parents, and their prized possession was a book of fairy tales called The Way to Rio Luna. Pili always promised that the magic was real and they'd go to Rio Luna together, but when the children are separated Pili disappears and is branded a runaway. Danny doesn't believe she would ever leave him, and instead thinks he must find the magic and the way to Rio Luna, so he can reach her again.
This story is an epic fairy tale quest, complete with magical princes and kings (including one awesome gay king!) and a terrifying Shadow Queen. Cordova has no problem transitioning from YA to writing for younger readers - I think this is her debut? - and has created a quest story that is emotional, fresh and has me excited for the second book. Danny is a sweet kid who sees the good in people, and a lot of the problems the kids stumble across along the way involve learning to empathize - a fact that makes me curious about their future encounters with the Shadow Queen.
There are also some early Harry Potter vibes in how Danny is a mistreated orphan stuck with a cruel family, so if you're looking for HP alternatives to give to kids since, y'know, Rowling is a giant transphobe/TERF, this is a great option.
This story is an epic fairy tale quest, complete with magical princes and kings (including one awesome gay king!) and a terrifying Shadow Queen. Cordova has no problem transitioning from YA to writing for younger readers - I think this is her debut? - and has created a quest story that is emotional, fresh and has me excited for the second book. Danny is a sweet kid who sees the good in people, and a lot of the problems the kids stumble across along the way involve learning to empathize - a fact that makes me curious about their future encounters with the Shadow Queen.
There are also some early Harry Potter vibes in how Danny is a mistreated orphan stuck with a cruel family, so if you're looking for HP alternatives to give to kids since, y'know, Rowling is a giant transphobe/TERF, this is a great option.
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