Nestor Lopez is having a tough time; he and his mom have moved in with his abuela while his dad is deployed in Afghanistan. In addition to having to make new friends, his ability to talk to animals leads him to find out that there's something strange going on in the woods...

This is a fun mix of realism and fantasy that will be accessible to any middle-grade reader--plus, there's talking animals, which is always an enjoyable trope. I also loved the vibrant myths and the rich cast of characters (including the animals; Cuervito, Val, and Rufus were especially fun). I appreciated, too, that most of the main characters are characters of color; for example, Nestor is Cuban-American.

Nestor Lopez can speak to animals. And he's going to need that power to defeat the tula vieja that's been capturing the animals in the little town of New Haven.

Nestor's dad is away with the Army, and Nestor and his mom decide to move in with Abuela. As Nestor starts school and makes new friends, he learns that the town has been losing pets and livestock at an alarming rate. Nestor and his friends start doing some digging, and learn that the cause behind all of this is a witch who seeks the powers of animals.

I really enjoyed this book and think my fifth graders would enjoy it as well! I admire how the author blended the serious topic of a military deployment with both fantasy and mystery elements. Nestor seemed like a truly interesting character and I can't wait to share his story!

Sixth-grade Nestor Lopez has moved 6 times and has had 10 first days of school. He just wants to live in one place for more than a few months. He ends up in New Haven, Texas with his mom to live with his grandmother. Before, he had to live on military bases so he's not so sure how this will go. He knows that with having his grandmother here, he will not be able to easily get out of chores and things around the house. No bueno.

Whats so special about Nestor is that he can talk to animals. He does not want anyone to find out though (family included)! Well, word around New Haven is that animals have gone... missing? Two kids in his class were talking about how their dog and goats disappeared. Then he heard more and more. What he least expects is that his grandmother has anything to do with it. But rumors say that she's been in the woods. The woods that no one wants to walk through because all of the supposed terrors that live in there. As Nestor tries to take this in, his friends try to figure this out with him. Next thing they know a "tule vieja" may be the suspect. A tule vieja is a witch and she can soak in the powers of animals that she bites during the solar eclipse that happens twice a year. Bad news bears for New Haven... the next eclipse is supposed to happen in a few days... right where they live.

What's different about this book is the dynamic of the character and the twist of magical realism. I think the author did an amazing job with crafting the voice of Nestor Lopez. I felt like I was in the book listening to that crazy crow and going on this upturned quest to help save the missing animals. The relationship between Nestor and his father was very special and I loved that. This is a book that I will highly recommend to my students! It reminded me a little bit of Twist by Sarah Cannon.

Thank you to #NetGalley and MacMillan Children's Publishing Group for allowing me to read a digital ARC of The Total Eclipse by Nestor Lopez by Adrianna Cuevas. This book is currently set to release on July 21, 2020. All opinions are my own.

Nestor Lopez wants nothing more than to spend more than a couple months living in one place. His dad is in the Army, so Nestor and his mom frequently move. This time, they've moved in with his abuela in a tiny town in Texas. His plan is to lay low and ensure that no one discovers his secret: he can talk to animals. The first thing Nestor notices about the town is that every pole, window, and spare wall space is plastered with missing pet photos. When he starts school, he hears rumors about something lurking in the woods and stealing animals. The prime suspect for the disappearances is Nestor's abuela. As he starts to look further into the disappearances, he discovers a tule vieja (a witch who can absorb an animal's power by biting it) is the culprit. Now, Nestor and his newly made friends must find a way to stop the witch before the eclipse when she is the most powerful.

This was a fun and magical middle grades novel. It is full of adventure and animal trivia and simultaneously teaches important lessons about friendship, self-discovery, and being true to yourself. One of the biggest themes in the novel is that things/people aren't always as they appear. Nestor struggles with his ability to talk to animals as well as his family's constant movement, due to these, he is used to putting up walls. In his journey to find the missing animals and clear his grandma's name he learns about himself and learns the importance of having friends. I loved all of the fun animal facts that are included. The tule vieja is based on a myth from Panama. I really enjoy books that introduce me to a myth, history, and/or aspect of another culture. I loved the overall narrative voice and how Cuevas ensured that both her human and animal characters each had their own unique personalities. I think my students will absolutely love this book and I can't wait to share it with them.

In this middle-grade debut by Adrianna Cuevas, Nestor Lopez is a Cuban-American boy living with his mom and abuela and dealing with the struggle of his father being deployed overseas. He also has the ability to talk to animals, making all the realistic elements of this book have a great crossover with the fantastic. As he tries to settle into a new town and make friends, he and his friends are forced into investigating a series of strange events occurring with the animals in the woods of his new town. I really enjoyed this read and think it is a great choice for middle-grade readers, particularly those looking for reads about military families, fitting in after move(s), or friendship in general.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Children’s Publishing for the chance to read and review an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When I was a kid, I was obsessed with stories about kids that could talk to animals. Books, movies, TV shows - I devoured them all. (And ok, I still do. 😂) So honestly, my expectations for this book were set *very* high, which is pretty much a surefire way of getting disappointed.

But oh my gosh I am OBSESSED. This book was everything I wanted it to be and more!! Tween Andrea would have absolutely had this book in her top 10 of all time and adult Andrea will 100% be purchasing a print copy and recommending to ALL KIDS.

I mean, this book has:

✔️ Latinx Rep (with accurate Spanish!)
✔️ Sweet Friendships / Sweet Families
✔️ A++ Animal Chats
✔️ Best Animal Trivia Ever
✔️ A Scary Antagonist

Seriously. What a debut!

I'm not usually one for magical realism in my middle grade novels but this books was really fun and interesting. Nestor just moved, again, with his mom to Texas to live with his Abuela. His father is in the Army and has been deployed, again. Nestor usually tries not to get too attached to the people or places he moves to since he knows it's always temporary. Nestor, however, quickly finds himself with two new friends and as a member of the trivia club. He also finds himself immersed in a mystery where local pets are disappearing and the townsfolk blame his Abuela. Oh and did I mention that Nestor understands and can communicate with animals? When him and his friends discover it is a witch kidnapping the local pets, they go on a mission to stop her, with the unlikely help of the classroom bully. This is a fun, fast-paced tale of friendship, magic, and working together.

Entertaining middle grade adventure novel about a young Cuban-American boy who has the ability to speak to and understand animals. Additional themes include coping with an active military family member, coping with being consistently uprooted and relocated, dealing with bullies, and South and Central American witchcraft/lore. Child readers are likely to enjoy this book very much, although adult readers may question the almost universal incompetence and cruelty of adults in the book. This book may be triggering for readers who were forced into adult roles at a young age and/or readers whose family rules prioritized suppressing personal emotions and the truth for the benefit of other family members.

Nestor and his mom have just moved to a new town to live with his grandmother. Nestor is sure his 10th first day at a new school will be no different from the others he's experienced every time he's had to move. But unexpected friendship and mysterious animal disappearances make Nestor realize New Haven, Texas, is not like any town he's lived in before. As Nestor and his friends investigate the strange events occurring, Nestor wonders if he's finally found a place to call home.

Nestor and his mother move to Texas to live with his father's mother while his father is deployed. He's not happy, because this is his tenth first day of school in a new place, and it wasn't a necessary move. He refuses to unpack, because he knows the chances are good that he will have to move again. He does enjoy being with his abuela, who is a great cook, and he does make some friends at his school, including Maria Carmen and Talib. Nestor can hear animals talking, which leads to some interesting experiences, especially since Talib's dog, George, has disappeared and Maria Carmen's family has lost some goats. Abuela has been seen heading into the woods with a knife, leading to speculation in the neighborhood that she has something to do with the pets' disappearances, but Nestor does not think this is the case. He has more concerns about his science teacher, Ms. Humala, who seems to have something to do with a massive snake hanging around the place. The animals, including an injured coyote, tell Nestor that there is an evil tule vieja (witch) in the area, and Nestor and his friends (including a bully who turns out to be friendly and helpful) try to keep everyone safe.

Strengths: I am always looking for books about children with parents in the military, but they are difficult to find. This had a nice amount of details about Nestor missing his father, but also concentrated on what Nestor was going through. I also loved that the grandmother was from Cuba, and it seemed like she might have been sent over with Operation Pedro Pan (she was put on a plane by her parents and spent time in foster care, so seems possible). There are lots of phrases and folklore that add to this cultural connection. His friends are helpful and understanding of his special abilities, and Ms. Humala is a complicated character.
Weaknesses: I wanted to know a LOT more about why Nestor could talk to animals. We get a little more information at the end, but I could have used more details about that as well as the tule vieja.
What I really think: I wish this had a better cover. This style of cover, with the dark background, don't circulate well in my library. I like so many of the details, and enjoyed the story very much, but it will take a lot of handselling to get my students to pick this up.