Summer of the Mariposas
By Guadalupe Garcia McCall
When Odilia and her four sisters find a dead body in the swimming hole, they embark on a hero’s journey to return the dead man to his family in Mexico. But returning home to Texas turns into an odyssey that would rival Homer’s original tale.
With the supernatural aid of ghostly La Llorona via a magical earring, Odilia and her little sisters travel a road of tribulation to their long-lost grandmother’s house. Along the way, they must outsmart a witch and her Evil Trinity: a wily warlock, a coven of vicious half-human barn owls, and a bloodthirsty livestock-hunting chupacabras. Can these fantastic trials prepare Odilia and her sisters for what happens when they face their final test, returning home to the real world, where goddesses and ghosts can no longer help them?
Summer of the Mariposas is not just a magical Mexican American retelling of The Odyssey, it is a celebration of sisterhood and maternal love.
Check out the Vamos a Leer Educator's Guide for Summer of the Mariposas created by the staff at the Latin American & Iberian Institute (LAII).
Read the first three chapters of Summer of the Mariposas online here.
About the Creators
Guadalupe Garcia McCall - Author
was born in Mexico and moved to Texas as a young girl, keeping close ties with family on both sides of the border. Trained in Theater Arts and English, she now teaches English/Language Arts at a junior high school. Her poems for adults have appeared in more than twenty literary journals. McCall is an up-and-coming talent whose debut YA novel, Under the Mesquite, won the Pura Belpré Award and was named a Morris Award finalist. McCall lives with her husband and their three sons in the San Antonio, Texas, area. You can find her on the Web at guadalupegarciamccall.com. 
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View the InterviewsISBN
Paperback: 9781620140109
Hardcover: 9781600609008
E-Book: 9781600609015
Awards
Best Books of the Year
School Library Journal
Starred Review
School Library Journal
Amelia Bloomer Project - Feminist Task Force
American Library Association (ALA)
Best Children's Books of the Year
Bank Street College of Education
Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy Finalist
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
Lone Star Reading List
Texas Library Association (TLA)
Spirit of Texas Reading Program - High School List
TLA
Texas Lone Star Reading List
Young Adult Round Table, Texas Library Association
Westchester Young Adult Fiction Award
Westchester Fiction Award Committee
Guided Reading:
VLexile:
840LInterest Level:
Grades 6 - CollegeReading Level:
Grades 5 - 6Themes
Middle Grade, YA interest, Siblings, Sharing & Giving, Identity/Self Esteem/Confidence, Responsibility, Overcoming Obstacles, Mothers, Latino/Hispanic/Mexican Interest, Immigration, Imagination, Friendship, Forgiveness, Families, Dreams & Aspirations, Cultural diversity, Coping with Death, Conflict resolution, Childhood Experiences and Memories, Breaking Gender Barriers, Bilingual, Fantasy, Empathy/Compassion, Gratitude, Integrity/Honesty , Leadership, Optimism/Enthusiasm, People In Motion, Persistence/Grit, Self Control/Self Regulation
Collections
English Fantasy Middle School, English Fantasy High School, Diverse Background English Collection High School, English Guided Reading Level V, Latin American English Collection Middle School, Latin American English Collection High School, English Fiction Grades 3-6, English Fiction Middle School, English Fiction High School, Fluent Dual Language Spanish/English Collection, Fluent English Collection, Latin American English Collection
