This middle grade novel was the perfect blend of a spooky ghost tale with story of loyalty and friendship. I love recommending all of the "Rick Riordan Presents" series at our library because I know they are all wonderful stories featuring diverse characters.

I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy this one but I really enjoyed Paola Santiago and the River of Tears. I will be adding this to my classroom library and encouraging my students to read the series. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my opinions.

Paola is definitely a science kid, but when strange things happen by the river, she'll need to tap into other senses to save her friends. This adventure takes from Mexican folklore to create something wholly new, a series starter about a group of friends whose bonds will see them through harrowing times. Recommended.

I don't typically read middle grade, but I requested this on a whim after really liking the synopsis. With confidence I can say that I really enjoyed Paola Santiago, and I will most definitely recommend my younger sister to read it (who's in the age group of the target audience.)
The shining star of this book was Pao and how nerdy and headstrong she is! She's aware of her faults and is constantly trying to become a better person. Her character was such a delight and I found myself smiling a lot at her snarky quips. The side characters were all rounded out nicely, and I enjoyed reading about all of them as well! Each of them had very clear intentions and motivations, and how they sought to achieve them was interesting to read about. All their actions made complete sense, and wasn't marvelling in confusion like I am a lot with middle grade.
The Latin American mythology was also so interesting to read! I really appreciated what this story brought to the legend of La Llorona and how Mejia makes a character out of this legend. I would definitely pick up the sequel!

I love the folktale of La Llorona, so i was very eager to pick this one up! Paola is a very likeable main character, especially with her love of outer space! My favorite aspect of this was definitely how dark it got at times, which overall made it more enjoyable for me personally!

Great story, I loved learning more about the legends in the story. The characters were well developed and the world building was extensive. I will be reading the sequel and sharing this book with my customers!

honestly, the more i read rick riordan presents the more they all just feel like the same characters with different names. i honestly found the characters to be bland and boring and that Paola treated her friends like shit, which honestly sucked so much. i might reread this in the future when i'm not in a slump and maybe i'll like it more but who knows.

These are some feisty and brave kids. I don't think I could do what Paola does even at my age. Wonderful story-telling.

Very well-written with fully-developed characters and themes. I look forward to adding this title to our media center collection.

A beautifully written MG story with themes of family, love, forgiveness, and adventure! The spunky main character was adorable. There were some themes that may be a little heavy on younger readers though.

I knew this book was going to be great when I requested it, and I was right. Paola Santiago and the River of Tears is about a young girl named Paola and the journey she takes when one of her best friends goes missing. I really love Paola as a character, she is fiercely loyal to her friends and I think that is so amazing. The story is fast paced and super intriguing, I was so interested to discover all of the new monsters along with Paola. I will definitely be continuing with the series and I can't wait to see what adventures Paola gets herself into next.

Another Riordan Presents title to enter the running for awesome folklore/,mythology told by #ownvoices authors This story will appeal to fans of Percy Jackson and Aru Shah for sure!

I adore the books from the Rick Riordan Presents line and this is no exception. Paola Santiago is a well developed character that brings to life some of the Mexican folklore that isn’t seen as much in mainstream media. She’s a smart, scientifically geared teenager who doesn’t believe in all of the scary stories her mother told her growing up. That is until one of her best friends is abducted and Paola goes out to find her. The storyline flows well and keeps you wanting to continue reading just one more chapter. I look forward to seeing where Paola, Dante, and Emma go to next.

Thank you to Netgalley and Rick Riordan Presents for allowing me to read this wonderfully told tale.
#Netgalley. #RickRiordanPresents #PaolaSantiagoandtheRiverofTears

Honestly, I did not finish reading this book. While I love middle grade novels and was so excited to read one hitting on such an important topic to the Latine community, as well as retelling a piece of our folklore, this fell flat for me. However, I will say that I believe it’s just a writing style preference for me. I’ve read other works by this author, which include great and meaningful themes to the community, and I’ve still not enjoyed them. While this book was a bit too wordy and the characters read much older than they actually were, I would still recommend it to folks who are interested in a Latine-based middle grade novel! It simply just wasn’t for me.

5/5 ⭐️ to Paola Santiago and the River of Tears by Tehlor Kay Mejia

Thank you very much to Disney Books and NetGalley for early access to the ebook!

As with most of the Rick Riordan presents imprint, this was another standout middle grade read that celebrates Mexican culture and folklore. Specifically, this book is based around the legend of La Llorona and her river of tears. When a couple kids have disappeared from her town, Paola Santiago works with her friends to solve the mystery and hopefully bring them back. I loved the writing and pacing of this book, but most of all the characters and action! I was definitely pulled in and could hardly put it down! The magic system was pretty cool, too, as it transported Paola to different other worldly places where there were magical monsters she had to fight. Also, there is a group of “lost children” that Paola meets which adds a great found-family aspect. Again,the action scenes were so well written, especially consider the various settings this book takes place, I felt like I was there and I could visualize the battles! The end-game scene was especially excellent and nerve-wracking but sooo satisfying! Finally, I just wanted to say a few quick notes about Paola as a character...I think she is such a relatable character for middle grade readers, and I thought her growth as a character made her dynamic and more fully fleshed out. She grows in appreciation for her mom, her culture, as well as realizing that impressions of people can evolve. That is, a persons experiences and story can explain their actions and not simply to discount “bad” people.

Read this book! Pass it on to a young reader you know! You won’t regret it!

This was such an adventurous, unique and well written middle grade book! I found it to be so much darker (in a good way) than I had expected. There was a lot of action and there were constantly new things to see and learn about. I really enjoy learning about latinex folklore and this incorporates some different folklore that I didn’t know about. I can only imagine how excited the latinex community must be to see their folklore represented.
At the beginning of the book Pao really irritated me. I found her to be selfish, very easily jealous and it got on my nerves. That being said, it was refreshing to see a flawed character that wasn’t perfect in every way. I think it’s important to see those types of characters in books and especially in middle grade literature! I was pleased that the issues I had with Pao were addressed by the end of the book and Pao grew a lot by that point.
Wonderful children’s book!!

Another powerful addition to the Rick Riordan Presents imprint. I am grateful for such a wide variety of representations coming out in a predictable Percy Jackson type of structure for late elementary students to be able to access and enjoy. Especially in schools with primarily Latinx populations!

Prepare to be immediately sucked under! Mejia does an incredible job of introducing readers to the fascinating world of Hispanic Folklore.
Paola and her friends face not only La Llorona, but also crash through barriers of class, and culture in subtle, yet authentic ways. Paola is relatable, endearing, strong and just enough sassy for her to stand out as a great protagonist. I have no doubt that she will be a favorite among my middlers!

This book was absolutely amazing! Paola Santiago is a scientist and doesn’t believe in ghosts or monsters, but when her best friend disappears, she learns that might just not be true. The friendship between the the friends was perfect! I loved getting to read about the mythology in this book. With the stories of La Llorona, it’s perfectly spooky for Halloween time! I can’t wait to see what Tehlor Kay Mejia writes next!


Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is rich with Mexican lore twisted with fantasy. Paola doesn't like her mom's superstitious beliefs surrounding Mexican legends but winds up be thankful she had knowledge of them as she finds herself needing this knowledge to survive. Family relations, friendship and fantasy is what this book is all about. I loved that the reader has to continue reading to piece everything together and at the same time they learn quite a bit about Mexican legends, especially La Llorona. This will definitely be an addition to our school library!