For centuries, the Del Toro family has been set to protect and control the skinner, wolf-like creatures, population. As they are starting to increase in population and ferocity, Matt is set to help his family control the skinners. Matt has to learn how to properly ride and slay these monsters with the help of his best friend, El Cid, his horse.

Del Toro Moon really focuses on the family aspect which could arguably be the biggest part of this story line. The relationship between Matt and his father, Javier, was a true father son relationship. There was some tension between them, Javier was in charge, but the underlying love they had for one another was truly something else. Even Ben who liked to push buttons had love and respect for one another. I loved their relationships.

The relationships they had with their horses was also special. The animals were part of the family and that was clear throughout their interactions. Matt and El Cid have such a wonderful relationship. I couldn't love their relationship anymore than I already do.

With this novel having a fantasy aspect, I do wish there was a little more world-building to it. There were a few details here and there about the background of the Del Toro family, but not much else. Everything was vague especially once the world was expanded I had more questions. I understand this is a middle grade novel and world-building wise for a middle-grade novel it wasn't bad. I really don't think I would have asked extra questions about it.

Overall, this was a good middle-grade novel with strong family relationships that really shined through and made this novel special.

This is a super cute and fun read that all members of the family would be able to enjoy. It was a pleasure to read.

Enjoyable story that was well paced. If you're someone who like middle grade books with adventure this would be one to check out.

Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t think it is a secret that I love MG books. As soon as I saw the cover and read the synopsis I knew I wanted to check out this book. This is a story about 12 year old Matt Del Toro who is learning the family business of protecting the area from “Skinners”. Skinners are creatures that are wolf like in shape but resemble “bloodied, fresh skinned carcass”. The family is assisted in this quest by Andalusian horses that can talk to humans. This book has adventure and magic but also touches on family dynamics, death and prejudices. This book is funny and sweet. I’m not going to lie. I shed a tear (or twenty) while reading this book. I know that this a stand alone book but I would love for a prequel or even a sequel.

An adventurous tale filled with magic, evil ancient monsters, modern day knights with maces and talking horses. Del Toro Moon will take its readers to an entertaining story with the touch of legends and myths, friendship, and family relationship.

The story follows a 12-year-old Matt Del Toro. He starts his training for their "old family business" which is destroying "skinners" wolf-like creatures who eat human flesh. When a group of paleontologists started an archaeological excavation on the maze, which is where the skinners are hiding, the Del Toro's family and friends, together with their Andalusian horses, will do anything to prevent an impending disaster.

Plotwise, it is well-paced and keeps getting more engrossing when certain conflicts surfaced. Karchut created a story which will make your heart beat fast from excitement and laughter. Also, she also knows how to tug one's heartstrings at the right places and time.

I love a lot of things about this book. The first thing is the characters. They all have striking personalities. The relationship between the characters, especially with the Del Toros and their horses shows respect and love at the same time. Also, it is quite refreshing to have a story where the main focus is on a family that is part of a minority group. It is not only that, they are the heroes in this story, and they pride themselves with their origin and culture. Second, the world building is remarkable. Although it is set in a modern Colorado's Southwest, it still holds elements of fantasy that made this book more interesting.

The powerful message of this book that readers, especially children, can learn from this is noteworthy. This book's theme centered about family bonding and character development. It teaches us that no matter what happens, we can always count on our family. They will give support and protection unconditionally even when it may cost their own lives. It also discusses some serious issues such as the death of a loved one.

Overall, Del Toro Moon is a coming-of-age story full of adventures. If you enjoy reading middle-grade books with a mix of humor, horror, and love, you'll love this one.

I received this book from NetGalley for my honest review. This was an adorably told children’s book from a brave, twelve-year-old boy named Matt. This story had adventure, scary monsters, talking war horses and a bit of Hispanic culture.

The monsters they were fighting were the equivalent of a zombie-like wolf attacking in packs with flies buzzing everywhere. While I was reading story I was never exactly sure if the characters were safe, which left me on my toes with the story and made me want to keep reading!

At one point while I reading a battle with the skinners a fly buzzed past me in my living room and it spooked me for just a split second. 🙄( That is why I can’t read horror, I get spooked THAT easily).

But overall I thought this was a wonderful middle grade book! I fell in love with Matt, his family and the talking war horses. Thank you so much NetGalley, Owl Hollow Press and the author, Darby Karchut! My opinions are my own. This book will be released October 2, 2018, go check it out!

"Ride hard, swing hard, and take out as many of those creepy critters as you can. Twelve year old Matt Del Toro is the greenest greenhorn in his family's centuries-old business: riding down and destroying wolf-like monsters, known as skinners. Now, with those creatures multiplying, both in number and ferocity, Matt must saddle up and match his father's skills at monster whacking. Odds of doing that? Yeah, about a trillion to one. Because Matt's father is the legendary Javier Del Toro - hunter, scholar, and a true caballero: a gentleman of the horse. Luckily, Matt has twelve hundred pounds of backup in his best friend - El Cid, an Andalusian war stallion with the ability of human speech, more fighting savvy than a medieval knight, and a heart as big and steadfast as the Rocky Mountains. Serious horse power. Those skinners don't stand a chance."

I sense a little bit of a western theme this week... but sign me up for this western with a shapeshifting twist.

This middle-grade story packs quite the punch and was a pure joy to read. The story revolves around our main character Matt and his family who come from a long line of Caballeros. Their mission is to destroy monsters known as skinners. This is done with the help of their Andalusian horses. I loved how the horses spoke in this book and the unique characters that they were. El Cid was fantastic. Matt is young and hasn't killed a skinner yet when the book opens and his older brother just returns as well.

Matt is learning the family business and with this comes a lot of insecurities that he has to deal with. The main theme of this book is family and there is so much to love about it. The writing is fluid and draws you in creating a perfect escape and a great picture in your mind. The relationships are all very real and it shows coming of age for Matt and the bonds between family so well.

It's a face-paced story with so much to enjoy and I think no matter what age you are, you'll love it. It's full of adventure, magic, talking horses, monsters, and of course heroes. It's a definite 5-star read from me and my twelve-year-old son is devouring it as I write my review.

A truly wonderful story by Darby Karchut and believe me, this might be a middle-grade title but I have no doubt people of all ages can read and love this book! There's lots of action, laughs, adventure, a beautifully written father-son relationship; you'll finish this story with a smile and wanting to read more!

The main character Matt and his family come from a line of the caballeros arriving from Spain with the mission of destroying monsters, known as skinners; to do that they have their trusty Andalusian horses, that have the hability to speak. How awesome does this sounds? Honestly.
Now Matt is just starting in the family business so of course he'll have to dealt with insecuries and problems, along with some family family situations but I can say I was hooked from the start. Darby is amazing creating likable and compelling characters; also as I mentioned earlier she has a gift for writing about that father and son bond, it warmed my heart, and the relationship between brothers was also very present, I loved reading about their interactions.

Likewise it was incredible to read and learn about the horses and the presence of Hispanic culture in the story. There are some very important themes in this book, which I think can be consider as a coming of age tale, and we can not only enjoy reading it but also take some lessons from it.

Congrats to Darby on creating this amazing book! 100% recommended.

Del Toro, a story about knight family whom they have to protect people from weird creature. They called it Skinners, the zombie wolf that haunted people all the time.

This book has been chosen by me because of its cover. I know, I'm that kind of person who always melted with pretty cover. Thank you #Netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you love to read middle grade books, you might be like Del Toro. The story full of adventure, talking animal and light horror that fits for teen.

As a reader I found it hardly to get into it, the story packed with medium pace but the story feels flat for me. However, it still fun book to read.

Copy received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Del Toro Moon is one of those middle-grade books that readers of all ages will enjoy. It's got an exciting story complete with action, peril, and family bonding. Oh, and talking horses. This book was so fun to read, and I'd even read it again.

I loved Del Toro Moon because of its main theme of putting your family first. The main character, Matt, fights against the monstrous skinners with his father, brother, and trusted horse, El Cid. I loved the powerful message of how you should trust the people close to you to help out in times of trouble. This book, though gruesome in the parts where the Del Toros fight the skinners, has a very sweet theme to it; an aspect that makes Del Toro Moon worth the read. I also liked the fact that this book didn't try to be like an epic poem-- It had a lot of action, yes, but it didn't try to be bigger than it was. Del Toro Moon was short and simple while being appropriate for its intended audience.

Expect great things from Del Toro Moon. This middle-grade novel has a story that's unique and even sweet. I would have loved this book even more if there was more world-building; the focus is on the characters and not the setting. That being said, the character-building was the best part of this book, which is good because it was definitely the main focus. Know that Del Toro Moon is centered about family bonding, and you'll love it. But even if you think it's about the action, which I thought it was at first, you'll still love it.

Del Toro Moon is an action-packed story full of creey skinners (creatures resembling "a bloodied, fresh-skinned carcass") and family relationships. Matt was someone kids (and adults) can identify with- he wants his father and brother to take him seriously and despite being a green hunter, he really wants to show he's a good fighter-- especially when his father is legendary. The sibling relationship is very relatable and believable. I mean, an sibling who teases you ruthlessly and gets on your last nerve, totally realistic. I also love the father-son relationship here, one full of understanding, love and support.

And one of my favorite parts was the Andalusian war horses who can also talk. Their personalities are to die for and only strengthened the story.

Del Toro Moon was a quickly-paced and entertaining read, very much a coming-of-age story. I would recommend it for young readers who enjoy mythology- and legend-based fantasy.

Del Toro Moon was a quickly-paced and entertaining read, very much a coming-of-age story. I would recommend it for young readers who enjoy mythology- and legend-based fantasy.

Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Full of adventure, magic, talking horses, modern day knights, horrendous-looking, evil creatures, archaeological digs….  while lightly touching on the serious subjects of death of a loved one, being the odd one out, and prejudices against those we see as different, this fun, galloping adventure is told from the slightly humorous voice of 12-year-old Matt Del Toro. Set in Colorado’s southwest at the base of the mountains, the Del Toro family is part of a centuries-old business of destroying “skinners,” which are wolf-like creatures that look like “a bloodied, fresh-skinned carcass.” There is some gruesome details in destroying the skinners but just enough to add to the excitement which starts in the very first chapter.

The characters shine in this book from the talking Andalusians each with distinct personalities, to the family dynamics between a single dad, big brother and little brother. The action starts right away in this story and there is witty banter and tender moments along with familial conflict mixed in. It is entertaining to the end and well-paced, keeping me wanting more and unlike any fantasy children’s book I have read before.

This synopsis for this book intrigued me, initially because it is about a Hispanic family and, as the parent of two half-Mexican children who is intentionally seeking out diverse reads, there is very little in today's literature that has Hispanic main characters. I have never before seen a children’s fantasy book that has, not only one Hispanic main character but a whole family that the story focuses on. Today's Hispanic literature often revolves around the immigrant experience or touches on illegal immigration in some way. There is only one brief mention of prejudice against Hispanics and as a parent and spouse of a Mexican, I really find it refreshing to be able to read something with my kids where the characters are simply heroes and not defined in any negative way by their heritage. Instead, they find pride in it. The very, light mention of it makes the book current and accurate but doesn't dwell.

Why is this book SO important? It is so incredibly important because, not only is it fabulously creative and fun but it represents such an under-served population in children's fantasy lit. Despite almost 18% of the 2017 US population identifying as Hispanic, only 2% of children't lit published in 2017 had Hispanic characters. 2%!!!! The Del Toro family members are proud heroes fighting off evil creatures with magical weapons and talking horses and NOT focusing on political issues or stereotypes. I still can't believe I could read a whole fantasy middle grade novel about a Hispanic family and enjoy the magic and not the politics. The MAGIC is what gives those intermediate and middle grade readers the passion for reading and, in turn, increases literacy. Studies show that Children fall in love with characters that are like them. THAT is why this book is not only good, but incredibly important!

This is the only mention of prejudices and politics and it is fleeting and so, so well-done that I was proud to read it with my half-Mexican children.

"People will judge us by our name and our looks and my accent. They will think we are uneducated ranch hands; or migrant workers, or illegal immigrants. Or worse, drug dealers or other kinds of criminals. There are a multitude of stereotypes they will assign to us." He nailed Ben and me with eyes the color of El Dorado gold. "I expect my sons to prove them wrong every time." I made sure I rode tall in the saddle the rest of the way. I noticed Ben did, too. As did our father, of course. Caballeros all."

#DelToroMoon #NetGalley

I picked up this ARC because I'm a huge fan of Risa Rodil's covers and middle grades have been one of my favourite genres in the past year. Del Toro Moon is about family and adventure. Matt is a 12 yo boy whose family is descendent from knights sworn to protect the world from evil creatures. Partnered with a special breed of talking Andalusian warhoses, and carrying maces (yep, that medieval weapon thingy) they hunt skinners, a creature that looks like a zombie wolf.

I started reading without knowing what to expect and throughout the book I realized the story is not only about magic and "modern knights" who fight evil in secrecy, but about family and love. The book starts on Matt's first mission to the Maze (where the creatures live) with his dad so we watch him have a learning curve about all the duties of a caballero. His relationship with El Cid, the gray horse he rides, is adorable and fun, while the family relationships between him, his dad and his older brother, Ben, contrast that with a bit of tension.

I felt really invested in the story and looking forward to their next adventure and always wondering what'll happen next? It was definitely action packed and medium to fast paced - all in all, very entertaining. I gave this 3,5 stars and not a higher score because it was really fun, but I missed more depth to it. Maybe some more info on the history of the knights (to be fair, that's not completely ignored and we do get some intel on it), and the other families mentioned that protect other areas.

I believe there are no plans of turning this into a series, but I think that'd be pretty interesting :)

Del Toro Moon, written by Darby Karchut, opens up fast and is a great balance between action and details (by which I mean explanation.) This novel follows the Del Toros' and their War Horses, some talking horses, as they hunt the skinners.
I do not normally read middle-grade novels, but this one was just fantastical enough that I wanted to give it a shot. I wasn't disappointed. Well written, I think this is a novel that is good for kids to get a feel for how novels written for older folks are laid out while still balancing vocabulary usage and descriptions. I wish there were more adult novels with talking horses, and these felt a lot like cartoon talking horses, likely because of the audience they were written for.
One word of caution for parents: this is a bit gore-y. Okay, a lot of gore. If your child gets scared easily or you just don't want them reading that yet, hold off on this book.

If you enjoy the writings of Darby Karchut, do not miss this book. There's a lot going on in the book to keep the reader entertained. Things are organized very well and it is not hard to follow along with the story. This is truly a book for everyone.

This is a fast moving, action packed story of the Del Toro Family, a magical family that works to defend the local community against ancient monsters escaping from the maze, with the help of their talking horses. When an archaeological dig discovers the source of these monsters, the Del Toro's and their horses come together to prevent disaster occurring.

What really drew me in was the relationships between all the characters, but particularly the relationship between the youngest member of the family Matt and his horse El Cid.

If your kids can handle a bit of horror and gore, then I would recommend they read this, and would 100% recommend this for anyone else to read.

Del Toro Moon by Darby Karchut was amazing. This current knight’s tale of Matt, his horse El Cid, and his family the Del Torros has it all: adventure, danger, romance, comedy, a beautiful setting, and complex characters. I was a little slow to warm up to the story but once it caught me I couldn't read it fast enough; I wanted to know what was going to happen next. Matt and his family have monsters in their backyard that they’re responsible for getting rid of and protecting the rest of society from. This is a heavy burden but one well carried. Del Toro Moon tells the tale of how the Del Torros got to Colorado and what they’ve been up to since, how they’ve handled the creatures and how their town has responded. The relationships between Matt and his family and horse and Perry are so well portrayed I felt as if I were actually there watching it all happen. I’m hoping there’s another story in this series so I can find out what happens to the Del Torros and their friends.

Admittedly, I selected this book because I like the cover art and because of the Spanish words in the title. I kept reading it because I liked the story- which is saying a lot because I don’t usually enjoy fantasy books about slaying monsters.
Del Toro Moon is a the story of a family of modern day cabelleros living in the Midwest. Our protagonist, 12 year old Matt, feels completely unprepared for his first battle with the skinners- vile, ferocious, wolf-like creatures that dine on humans. However, Matt receives guidance and protection from his trusty steed, El Cid. The horses in this story are characters in their own right and play a vital role in the book as well as the family.
In this hero’s journey, Matt deals will the loss of a loved one, his first real crush, the hot and cold relationship between his brother and father, as well as feeling lonely and inadequate. Karchut has written an exciting book that I think will speak to many students. I will be adding Del Toro Moon to my classroom library, and offering it asa “book club” option in our Monomyth Unit.