Caribbean & Latin America – Page 2

Papa said Poopy!

Stinkbird Has a Superpower by Jill Esbaum

April 6, 2023 by BlackRaven 2 Comments

Jill Esbaum, you had me at STINKBIRD and then Bob Shea had me with that dancing, purple chick on the cover. And then you all had me forever after reading Stinkbird Has a Superpower. This is a hilarious book about how a papa bird tells his little chick (and the reader) about how fabulous they are. Mostly because hey, they are awesome, but also because they are a species that has a lot of “only thems.” And the superpower of the title? Well, it is […]

“Mesmerizing illustrations combine with poetic text”— School Library Journal

Ancient Night by David Bowels

March 17, 2023 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

CBR15Passport New Author Two Nahuatl traditions are given a new twist in Ancient Night. But I was not aware of that until after finishing it. I was assuming when I picked up this picture book (and that was because the cover was intriguing) it would be an adaptation of a folk tale, but not which people. And I came away with thinking, “Oh, well, that’s nice. Different. Do I like it?” This is not a onetime read or a book to read quickly. I did […]

Well-behaved women seldom make history

Rima's Rebellion: Courage in a Time of Tyranny by Margarita Engle

January 19, 2023 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

CBR15Passport Book I own Rima’s Rebellion: Courage in a Time of Tyranny is an interesting book. First, it is prose poetry and while that is usually a good thing for me, I am not sure this was the best format for the subject. Second, it is confusing what age(s) it is aimed for. The tone of the book is for a middle-grade reader (at least aged 10 and up), but the subject matter is more mature. If this was Margarita Engle’s first novel, that bump […]

Almost 6 miles

9 Kilometers by Claudio Aguilera

December 12, 2022 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

I remember as a kid not wanting to get up and go to school. It was a chore and all I had to do was get up, eat a prepared breakfast, and get dressed. The sun (and my mom) was already up for at least an hour or two. I had to wait for the bus to drive oh five-ten minutes down the road. When they switched the route when I was older, it took 15-20 minutes. The only real struggle was rainy days or […]

If you are you

If Dominican Were a Color by Sili Recio

July 29, 2022 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

The narrator of the story, If Dominican Were a Color, is proud of the colors of their home, the Dominican Republic. And that love shines with the text of Sili Recio and the amazing illustrations of Brianna McCarthy. From the colors of cinnamon, cocoa, the blue black of dreams and many more come to life, with deeply rich and bold illustrations. They are proud and strong. The colors explode off the page. The story itself is one we know: be proud of who you are […]

When a lizard appears

The Lizard by Jose Saramago

January 31, 2020 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

I honestly have no idea what the point of the story, The Lizard was. The art of J. Borges never felt fleshed out and the story presented by Jose Saramago seems to have no point to it. Perhaps it is the way Nick Caistor and Lucia Caistor translated the text and therefore, the original language to English might not flow nicely to my ears. Perhaps it was just something deeper in the story I was missing as I was too focused on the surface part […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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