El otoño de las luciérnagas

Gr 6-10–Twin 16-year-old sisters Velia and Delia reside in Eagle Pass, TX. Their parents’ breakup has left lasting scars on all five girls. Little do the twins know that their plans to reconnect with Papi on the road with his band will be thwarted, forcing them to heal so that they can save their father’s soul. Readers will relate to the twins’ struggle to balance the head-and-heart decisions they make to find justice for their father and save Eagle Pass from a haunting, cruel landowner who wants to come back from the dead. This ­Mexican American twist on Antigone draws on ­compelling multideity legends to flesh out the first of three coming-of-age novels starring the protagonists, who fearlessly stand their ground and do remarkable, magical things. Velia’s and Delia’s secret desires, misgivings, and autumnal observations of each other are revealed in alternating chapters that will engage tweens and teens who enjoyed the author’s El verano de las ­mariposas, where the twins’ older sister Odilia was the protagonist. A concise ­Spanish-Nahuatl glossary is provided in the back matter. ­