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Overview
Juvenile Fiction. Latino/Latina Studies. Once again, popular young adult author Ofelia Dumas Lachtman draws a smart and sly corps of young characters: Toni, Monica's fast-talking Dr. Watson; a handsome love interest who has a penchant for thievery; a suspicious jock from the right side of town; and a dutiful son who will do anything to claim his family's inheritance. With illustrations by Pauline Rodriguez Howard, this sequel to THE SUMMER OF EL PINTOR serves up an engaging mystery with a slice of teenage life. Blending a puzzling mystery with the ordinary trials of adolescence, this extraordinary novel for young adults will keep readers guessing.
When a mysterious and valuable guitar is stolen from the shop belonging to old friends of her family, Monica determines to find out what really happened and to uncover the guitar's well-kept secret.
Synopsis
When a mysterious and valuable guitar is stolen from the shop belonging to old friends of her family, Monica determines to find out what really happened and to uncover the ...
Sherry York - VOYA
The sequel to The Summer of El Pintor (2001) finds Monica Ramos still on Lucia Street in the barrio. Her boyfriend has left for college, her father is moving his law practice to the area, and she is adjusting to a less-affluent lifestyle in her long-dead mother's home. Monica happens to visit her mother's childhood friend at the Salcedos' guitar shop just when a treasured handmade guitar, La +nica, is found to be missing. The owner suspects his nephew Armando, his son Joe, and Monica, so she sets out to find the guitar. While tracking down clues including a gym towel, a silver Mustang, and hidden words on the scrollwork of a guitar, Monica is helped by friends and family, goes on a date with Armando, starts a romance with Joe, and has a run-in with sneak thief Angie. She recovers the guitar, finds a hidden message, and rescues her accuser, Mr. Salcedo. The message, a fragmentary Spanish phrase, leads Monica to discover a letter from Joe's deceased grandfather, explaining a Salcedo family mystery. Armando, who has a problem with kleptomania, returns to Mexico. Monica finds an old diary of her mother's, and Lucia Street starts to feel like home. This title features the same setting and many of the same characters as the earlier book. Although occasionally overly dramatic and less than credible, this mystery featuring Mexican American characters will be useful in libraries where there is demand for young adult mysteries with ethnically diverse characters. VOYA CODES: 2Q 3P M J (Better editing or work by the author might have warranted a 3Q; Will appeal with pushing; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2004, Pinata Books/Arte Publico, 190p.,Trade pb. Ages 11 to 15.
Editorials
VOYA
The sequel to The Summer of El Pintor (2001) finds Monica Ramos still on Lucia Street in the barrio. Her boyfriend has left for college, her father is moving his law practice to the area, and she is adjusting to a less-affluent lifestyle in her long-dead mother's home. Monica happens to visit her mother's childhood friend at the Salcedos' guitar shop just when a treasured handmade guitar, La +nica, is found to be missing. The owner suspects his nephew Armando, his son Joe, and Monica, so she sets out to find the guitar. While tracking down clues including a gym towel, a silver Mustang, and hidden words on the scrollwork of a guitar, Monica is helped by friends and family, goes on a date with Armando, starts a romance with Joe, and has a run-in with sneak thief Angie. She recovers the guitar, finds a hidden message, and rescues her accuser, Mr. Salcedo. The message, a fragmentary Spanish phrase, leads Monica to discover a letter from Joe's deceased grandfather, explaining a Salcedo family mystery. Armando, who has a problem with kleptomania, returns to Mexico. Monica finds an old diary of her mother's, and Lucia Street starts to feel like home. This title features the same setting and many of the same characters as the earlier book. Although occasionally overly dramatic and less than credible, this mystery featuring Mexican American characters will be useful in libraries where there is demand for young adult mysteries with ethnically diverse characters. VOYA CODES: 2Q 3P M J (Better editing or work by the author might have warranted a 3Q; Will appeal with pushing; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2004, Pinata Books/Arte Publico, 190p.,Trade pb. Ages 11 to 15.—Sherry York