First of all, I was SO. EXCITED. to get this ARC because I’m a huge fan of mythology related stories and learning about different mythologies is the best! I’ve read a few other RRP books so I went into this thinking it would have that same fun nature as the other RRP books did but oh my goodness I was so surprised when it was actually much darker and creepier than I thought (IN THE BEST WAY)!

Paola is a 12 year old scientist that doesn’t believe in the ghost stories and other folklore her mother is obsessed with. So naturally, her whole world is flipped upside down when she gets sucked into this whole adventure!

I loved reading through Paola’s POV. She is so spunky and fun and stubborn. Plus her science facts thrown in there just made this so fun and engaging to read! I really related to her need to rationalize everything and feeling a bit left out with her friends.

On top of that, the whole story was just so addicting. I think I read this in like two sittings because it was so engrossing! It was equal amounts of magical, spooky and fun! I was definitely stressed for Paola and her friends as they fought Chupacabras and other scary monsters!

On top of that, I loved learning about the different mythological creatures and magic involved! The entire quest was so well done and I know I’m definitely repeating myself here but I cannot emphasize enough how surprised I was and how dark it got! I’d never heard the stories about La Llorona before so I was so creeped out by that as well! Kids were told these stories?! *shudders*

I would recommend this to anyone who wants a dark and spooky adventure, likes random scientific facts to try to rationalize magic, magical chanclas?!, a flashlight that may or may not actually work the way it’s intended, and unlikely pets made extremely unlikely places. If you enjoy friends who will do anything for each other, fierce female characters, fighting monsters and twists and turns, you’ll definitely love this adventure!

I am so glad that Rick Riordan has started this line of books that showcase folklore and history from other cultures! I think it is a wonderful way to get children excited about reading and learning about various cultures and not just Greek and Roman deities. This story has a female protagonist who doesn't believe in the Hispanic stories and folklore that her mother has taught her throughout her life. She feels more comfortable studying space and science than tarot cards and candles. I think that the intended, middle grade, audience will love this book. As an adult, I kept losing interest in the story (although that may have more to do with the real world than with the River of Tears). Overall, it was enjoyable, just not my favorite.

I’ve been looking forward to this book pretty much since it was announced, because, one, Rick Riordan Presents as an imprint is hitting it out of the park with these releases and, two, La Llorona was a part of my childhood, and yes to all the Mexican folklore in this.

Paola Santiago and the River of Tears is a harrowing adventure into a dark world full of myth and superstition, where a young girl learns to find her light.

This was a fun adventure that took a little while to get started, but once I was in, I was in. That much was as expected. What I didn’t expect was how much heart this story had. Oof, it got me directly in the feels several times, and the last 25% especially were such an emotional roller coaster. I can’t wait for the second book now, based on some secrets this book teases!

My Thoughts:

- Paola Santiago is a girl who believes firmly in science and logic … and who is about to have everything she thought she knew tested. First, I thought it was so refreshing for a female protagonist to so unabashedly love science. Paola’s arc was so wonderfully partly because she doesn’t just believe in science, but she believes in it to the detriment of everything that doesn’t cleanly and logically fit into her world view. You know, like her mother’s superstitions and folklore, which annoy her to no end, because she thinks her mother is holding her back by falling into some Mexican stereotype. One that Paola doesn’t want to be a part of. The real beauty of Paola’s arc is that she not only grows a little more mature by the end, but she accepts that she’s not always going to have such maturity, because she’s 12, and it’s okay to be 12. Honestly, this was such a fresh, wonderful take on it, and I loved it. What Paola really showcases is that you can learn from these and turn it around later, even if you’re not always perfect in the moment.

- This book is chock full of Mexican culture, from some Spanish phrases to la chancla (it’s not quite what you think, I promise), and monsters right out of Mexican folklore. I know some Mexican folklore, but not nearly as much as I thought, apparently? Because I was surprised by additions more often than I should have been, so I refuse to tell you anything about the folklore itself so you can discover it as you go, too. In case you couldn’t tell from the La Llorona mention, some of this folklore can get downright dark and creepy. I mean, you’ve got a woman who drowned her children and is now lamenting it in death as the figurehead of this book. Not exactly screaming roses and sunshine here. The book itself was definitely uplifting and had a positive message, but I’d be remiss in not saying that it delves into some pretty ugly things. The way some of these creatures are described, too! It’s just *chef’s kiss*.

- It takes a little while for this book to really get going, but once it does, it’s a wild ride full of adventure and feels! I feel like we’ve come to expect adventure from a Rick Riordan Presents book at this point, but there’s nothing better than the feels naturally blindsiding you in the middle of a life-threatening romp for the sake of humanity, am I right? Little Paola is dealing with a lot of big emotions, from racism to a father who abandoned her and her mother, to racism, to her first major crush. It’s a lot for anyone. It’s not even only Paola’s feelings in this, because the antagonist has some pretty big feelings, too, which was really nice to see. Scary, murdery, and mostly bad for humanity feelings, but big feelings, nonetheless.

- I loved the strong friends vibe in this book, and how Paola is grappling with it maybe becoming something more. Paola struggles with a lot of age-appropriate things, like how to handle a first crush, if the feeling is mutual, and even jealousy. It’s hard when friendship dynamics change, no matter what the reason is. I liked the fact that the budding maybe-romance was present and treated realistically but didn’t dominate the book. Paola’s experience was so sweet and so entirely pre-teen that I couldn’t help but love it. Also, the banter between these two? On. Point. Twelve year old’s got some snark. Who would’ve guessed?

- The major themes in this book are forgiveness and understanding, and it made for such a beautiful read. I’m not even sure I can impress upon you just how much I absolutely LOVED this aspect of the book. I may have teared up a little bit. Just a little. I probably had something in my eye is all. *sniff* I actually don’t want to say too much about this theme, because it was so well done that you really just need to discover it. Needless to say, there’s a lot of forgiveness to go around. My favorite thing (probably because I’m biased) has to be the dynamic between Paola and her mother, which is where the understanding comes in. Because while Paola’s mother always believed in the folklore, Paola turned her nose up at it, and it was a real point of contention between them.

The characters (both human and mythical) are well written and developed. especially Paola, Orinda, and . The story is defined by the relationships between multiple sets of characters and the action scenes will keep your heart pounding. Though many middle grade stories center around friendship and family, this tale is honest about those relationships and places particular important on forgiveness. Some of the mythical elements could have used more flushing out (the rift and the orb).

Stay away from the river. That’s the rule. And Paola and her best friends Emma and Dante have enjoyed breaking it when the Texas summer gets a little too hot, even though they know at least one kid who drowned there and even though Paola’s mom has warned her about the wailing ghost spirit who haunts the river looking for victims. Then one night Emma doesn’t show up for their secret star-gazing trip, and Pao finds herself plunged into a world of Mexican folklore and myth.

You know the drill with Rick Riordan’s imprint, but Paola Santiago and the River of Tears is a nice departure from the formula in a few notable ways. For one thing, Paola’s a scientist, and she sees the world through a lens of observation and analysis. For another, the book deals with very real issues of racism and immigration — the scene where Pao and Dante try to report their (white) friend missing at the police station is harrowing because it rings so true. There’s also a strong sense that adults can't confront the evils of the world — children are the ones who have to do that, and they are stronger, smarter, and better equipped to do that than the adults in their lives — something that some recent protests might seem to support (and frankly one of the things that keeps me hopeful about the future). Most notably, though, I think this book stands out because it doesn’t play out in simple terms of good and evil — the Big Bad in this book doesn’t turn out to be Chaos or Plague but a much more human kind of evil, and the “right thing” isn’t a clear and simple path. I liked this one a lot.

Paola Santiago is obsessed with space and science, and does not believe in her mom's superstitions of beings like La Llorona. Pao and her friends, Dante and Emma, are constantly told to stay away from the river after a classmate drowned a year ago. But the Gila River has the best spots for stargazing so the three plan to meet up one night, except Emma never shows up. Pao and Dante's search for Emma leads them to a world of nightmares and monsters, and they have to race against time if they want to save Emma and themselves.

This was such a fun book! It's a great journey story, from the real world to the nightmarish world Pao and Dante find themselves in. The story was really engaging and I had to know what happened next and who was causing everything. It was a little spooky, which I really enjoyed, and full of fun and interesting monsters. I especially loved Bruto, who was the cutest ever. It was a fun story and I'm excited to hear that there's going to be a sequel coming out next summer!

I'll confess that I didn't read Rick Riordan when the various series first came out. It wasn't until Magnus Chase, which I kind of read along with my niece and nephew, that I discovered how good the books can be.

But more than that, I'm really pleased how he's taken his influence as a YA/MG author of urban fantasy mythology books and used it as a platform for new authors to share their stories. Books that are written in the same vein, kids on an adventure against monsters, myths, and legends. The Aru Shah series is one of my faves of these.

Paola "Pao" Santiago is the heroine in a novel with a new take on the legend of La Llorana, a weeping ghost who drowned her own children, and now wanders the river banks looking for them. Add to the story that she may grab any stray kids she comes across on their own and take them to their watery grave, and you have the makings of one lady it would be best to avoid.

Pao is very logical and science based and puts no stock in this story whatsoever. But when one of her best friends, Emma, goes missing, it seems as if the nightmares that have plagued her her entire life may have become reality. Her adventure begins when she decides that is up to her to save Emma, no matter what.

The first in this new series, I'm excited to see what Pao will tackle next!

I really enjoyed this book. It was fun to see so many of the stories from a culture that is not my own played out like this.

My main complaint about this book was that throughout the story we hear Pao ask of she is a "bad feminist" for thinking or wanting some things. But I held my judgment on that until the end and I think the Author did a fine job and making it clear that wanting those things did not in fact make her a "bad" feminist.

Paola Santiago is a person who believes in science and is not like her superstitious mother who burns candles, reads cards, and tells stories about La Llorona and other characters from Latin American folklore. But when her best friend, Emma, disappears by the river, she and their friend, Dante, go off to search for her -- with a little help from Dante's abuela and her bag of seemingly worthless stuff.

Pao ultimately must enter the reality of her nightmares in order to save her friend. She discovers that science and folklore may not be as incompatible as she had thought, and she begins to better understand her mother and their relationship.

I was not familiar with the story of La Llorona or any of the otherworldly creatures (other than the chupacabras), and I'm glad I was introduced to them in this story. The Rick Riordan Presents series has opened my eyes to a number of cultures' folklore and mythology and done it in an engaging way. While this book did have a bit of a lull in the middle, it kept me interested and had an exciting ending.

My thanks to Rick Riordan Presents and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've been a Rick Riordan fan for ages, but this is the first Rick Riordan Presents book I've read, and it did not disappoint. Paola is a budding scientist who grates under her mom's superstitions, but when one of her best friends goes missing, she and her other best friend realize her mom's stories are real and enter the adjacent magical world. While I'm no longer the target demographic for children's books, I really enjoyed this and think fans of Riordan's would as well (I was also 100% HERE for when Pao points out how Latinx kids are treated by some authority figures and some have to fear ICE raids). I loved the Lantinx myths and how Mejia brought them to life, even though I could have used a bit more explanation on some of them.. The Google Translate app was also helpful as I have a very minimal amount of working Spanish (even less than Pao does) but I really liked the occasional bits of Spanish that were woven in. I also really enjoyed Dante as a character and his and Pho's relationship, though I still had some unresolved issues around Marisa and some of the other kids (but I'm also a completionist who wants all the answers NOW) but maybe that's for future books to explain.
I'm intrigued to see where the series will go from here, but the book gave enough details for speculation (which is half the fun when you can't immediately jump into the next book).

This is a wonderful book, an exploration of mythology and culture wrapped up in a compelling adventure, interesting family dynamics, and fully realized characters. And I think this book will go so far, acting as a mirror for kids whose cultures are represented as well as a way into understanding a bit of these cultures for those who are outside.

Highly recommended for the middle grade classroom or home library, as well as for adults like me who think stories about mythology are fun.

Note: This is my first Rick Riordan Presents book and I am not an own voices reviewer.

This story about the very scientific minded Paola Santiago who's goes on a very mystical, fantastical adventure to save her friend. There was a lot of this I liked. I liked how the experience of Paola as a second generation American with her mom was depicted. I liked the scientific mind of Paola and her friendships with Dante and Emma. I liked how the reveal of the villain and Ondina played out. I liked how real social issues were weaved into the story.

I enjoyed the story in the real world until it brought in the fantastical world and I felt like it got a lot weaker. It was introduced very flimsily, without giving Paola and Dante any direction. There was a lot of loose threads that was introduced and not explained AT ALL. Paola as the Dreamer, The Alma de Arma, the pearl of power. I understand that it's a series, but some things CAN be explained in order to build a series. And the themes, instead of being nuanced, were more like hitting you with a ton of bricks. (and middle grade can be nuanced. Rick already does that). Even though Paola and her friends were supposed to be 12, I really felt like it read older than that at times. This is also a little darker for a middle grade book, which middle grade can be dark at times, but a darker start for a first book.

I love the book for exploring Mexican and Latinx mythology here, but I felt it didn't introduce it well enough for me to understand the world and want to read more of it.

This was an ARC via NetGalley for an honest review.

When you’re a scientist, the world looks neat, organized, and crystal clear. When your mother believes in spirits and magic, however, your world can feel upside down. This contradiction is at the heart of Paola Santiago and the River of Tears, the new middle grade fantasy novel from Tehlor Kay Meija. I found this book to be a great, fun, adventurous read, and not just because my 12 year old shouted NO SPOILERS every time she saw me with my Kindle for four days. As a mom, that’s a pretty cool moment; I’ve made sure she meets actors from her favorite TV show, gotten responses to her questions from authors on Twitter, and she’s been happy-but-blase the way 12 year olds are. Seeing me with an eARC of a new book, though, put her over the edge. And, since this is a conversation I’ve seen on Twitter a few times: she’s absolutely excited that this is a new book “recommended by Rick Riordan,” but she is also fully aware that he is not the author, and that excites her even more.

“Space-obsessed 12-year-old Paola Santiago and her two best friends, Emma and Dante, know the rule: Stay away from the river. It's all they've heard since a schoolmate of theirs drowned a year ago. Pao is embarrassed to admit that she has been told to stay away for even longer than that, because her mother is constantly warning her about La Llorona, the wailing ghost woman who wanders the banks of the Gila at night, looking for young people to drag into its murky depths.

Hating her mother's humiliating superstitions and knowing that she and her friends would never venture into the water, Pao organizes a meet-up to test out her new telescope near the Gila, since it's the best stargazing spot. But when Emma never arrives and Pao sees a shadowy figure in the reeds, it seems like maybe her mom was right. . . .

Pao has always relied on hard science to make sense of the world, but to find her friend she will have to enter the world of her nightmares, which includes unnatural mist, mind-bending monsters, and relentless spirits controlled by a terrifying force that defies both logic and legend.”

Late in the book, someone mentions that Paola Santiago, Pao, is inhabiting a liminal space. I was happy to see this put into words because at its heart, Paola Santiago is about liminal spaces. It is about the shady dusk that happens when you’re not quite in either world. From her frustration with her mother to the world on the other side of the rift, Pao is trying to understand how to inhabit two spaces at once. There’s a lot happening in this book related to this theme - the tension between friends, the tension between religion and superstition and scientific thought, and the tension between the desire to save everyone and the need to save your friend, the tension between what Marissa and Ondina are telling Pao, and how that contradicts Pao’s dreams about Emma. This is a part of growing up that isn’t often discussed in books aimed at 12 year olds: the idea of holding two contradictory ideas within yourself, especially the idea of both growing up and staying a kid.

The book’s action kicks off when Paolo's best friend Emma goes missing. Pao and Dante, her other best friend, try to go to the police, but are dismissed because Pao is presumed to be one of those <<quote>>. It is Dante’s abuela who sends them on their quest to rescue Emma, using magic to send them across the rift and equipping them with Florida water, a kid’s toy flashlight, and a chancla (an old house slipper). The duo are thrust into another world where they find a whole community of other kids who are struggling for survive after their own disappearances into the rift. While Dante stays to help them fight the monsters, Pao continues her journey, never accepting others’ belief that Emma might be dead.

Throughout this, Meija creates a vibrant, textured world that feels rich and real. From the weight of the humidity to the odd feeling of petting a chupacabra puppy, this book creates a sensory experience that is immersive and enjoyable.

If this book has a fault, it is that the ending seemed rushed and unclear. While the struggle between La Llorona and Ondina was powerful and important, how La Llorona had been turned into this angry spirit was difficult to follow. When did Franco stab her? How were the children being brought across the rift before that? But, as an adult reader, I have a different perspective and look for different things in stories than my twelve year old daughter. She, for example, will never tolerate a story where enemies become friends while seeing that transition is one of my favorite tropes.

This is an ownvoices book, as all of the Rick Riordan Presents titles are; it embraces the author’s own mythology and explores worlds that kids of the same culture probably haven’t seen in print before. My experience with publishers is that no matter how good a book might be, publishing houses are likely to tell an author "We already published a Latino (queer/trans/Chinese/Black, insert your chosen minority here) book this year," so an imprint dedicated to making sure that people who traditional publishers would dismiss are instead pushed and bolstered by name recognition alone.

An impartial reader doesn't exist, and biases are present in every human being. This isn't a flaw, but failing to acknowledge those biases is. As someone with nothing but western Europe in my family heritage, I don't have the background that the target demographic likely would. I am comfortable saying that it felt like the author’s experiences were woven into the warp and weft of this story, from the connections of religion and magic to the fear of being taken away by ICE. When Emma’s parents ask Dante and Pao to meet them at the police station, Pao is terrified; she has been taught throughout her life to never go to the police if there is any other choice at all. Beyond the experience of real world racism, however, the experience of magic and fantasy is different and powerful. As a white reader, for example, having the character’s magic item for the quest being a house slipper which has clearly inspired fear in both Dante and Pao for many years, brings a fresh take on the “hero’s quest.”

This isn’t Taylor Kay Mejia’s first book, though it is the first one she’s written for a middle grade audience. I appreciate that this is an author my daughter can grow with. We already have We Set the Dark On Fire on our shelves, though she hasn’t quite gotten to it yet.

Paola Santiago and the River of Tears is a good adventure story. It examines the concepts of liminal spaces in a way that I think middle schoolers will find approachable and interesting. It is girls, ultimately, who save the day, and when Pao returns from the rift, it is with a new perspective on her mom’s beliefs about the world. I strongly recommend it for kids who enjoy adventure and fantasy, stories where girls are the heroes, and moments where monsters aren’t as simple as they seem. Although it’s middle grade, and therefore considered appropriate for 8-12 year olds, I would read along with my 8 year old to make sure she understood the way poverty and single parents were presented in this book.

And now that I've written this review, I can finally, finally have my daughter stop worrying she'll read a stray paragraph over my shoulder and ruin a book I think she'll gush about for weeks.

Paola Santiago and the River of Tears is another book in the Rick Riordan Presents imprint. I really enjoyed it. I love how these books give life to various cultures and their folklore/mythology. Paola Santiago is no exception. In this book, Paola gets to experience the world of La Llorona, the Hispanic legend of a woman who killed her own children by drowning them, and then proceeded to take other children and drown them as well. Paola is a 12 year old girl who is very much science minded, and is able to explain various experiences by using science. That is, until she gets swept away in the legend herself.

If you are a fan of Percy Jackson, Aru Shah, and any other of the Rick Riordan Presents books, I think you will definitely enjoy this book as well!

I received a digital ARC of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.

I inhaled this book, staying up late to finish (which I haven't done in a long time). My students know the story of La Llorona and many are familiar with creatures like the chupacabra. I'm so excited to share this very well-written book that features many of the stories they have grown up with. I think the cover alone will suck them in, so I imagine I'll have to buy a couple of copies (whenever we get back to normal). I agree with other reviewers that the story did drag a bit here and there, but for the most part the action was exciting, the mystery was compelling, and the relationship developments felt very true-to-life. I look forward to the next installment.

I knew going into this one that I would probably love it for two big reasons.
1. I love the author. Mejia's YA duology WE SET THE DARK ON FIRE and WE UNLEASH THE MERCILESS STORM were stunning. I never expected to fall in love with them the way I did, but I did. And they were amazing. So I knew I'd love just about anything the author put out. And
2. Rick Riordan Presents has yet to put out a less than phenomenal book. Everything I've read out of this imprint has been a 4 star and above read for me.
Well, I was right. I loved it. And those two reasons were only part of it. The entire book was an adventure from start to finish. I love the characters, the plot, the writing, all of it. Cannot recommend this enough for all middle grade readers.

This was a really great middle grade story weaving together Latinx myths with a smart young girl trying to find her missing best friend. This was a great story and I really loved the characters and how Paola began to believe in the myths and legends her mother told, the ones she had written off as being ridiculous.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free review copy!

Many of the books in my classroom library were inherited from previous teachers. While there were plenty of great books, they aren't representative of many of my students' cultures. Even fewer are Own Voices. So when I learned about this new series from Rick Riordan Presents while listening to the Novel Pairings podcast (highly recommend!), I knew I wanted to look into it.

This first book in the Paola Santiago series didn't disappoint! It's magical, fairly creepy, and had all those hallmarks of a young teen fantasy series--coming of age, heroic journey, deep friendships. I could see it being a good book for teaching theme or incorporating into a text set of mythological retellings. I definitely plan to purchase a copy for my classroom library!

STEAM, creep factor, and #OWNVOICES middle grade? Yes please! My middle school patrons will absolutely eat this title up!
Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy.

Meet 12-year-old Paola "Pao" Santiago, a lover of anything space-related, non-believer of superstititions, and can't stray from the Gila River. Her two best friends, Emma and Dante, meet her at the edge of the river often because it's the perfect spot to use her telescope to see the stars. Even though this is the perfect spot, they still remember the tragic event that happened in this same spot. A schoolmate, Marisa, drowned in the river and the town believes that the river is beyond dangerous. Since Pao's mom is extremely superstitious, she has told Pao numerous times about all of the terribly legends that surround the river banks. La Llorona is a ghost who screams and cries, looking for another victim to pull into the river to never be seen again. Of course the trio plans to meet again in the same spot, but Emma never shows. Emma' parents are frantic and Pao and Dante know they need to somehow, someway find their best friend. Dante's grandmother is in the middle of this when the two are trying to leave to figure out where she is, but instead of a quick visit his grandmother turns otherworldly and gives them a bag, Pao's old flashlight covered in stickers, and her chancla (slipper). As they free themselves they end up in the cactus field's near the Gila River... From here on out, Pao and Dante expect the unexpected because they run into chupacabras, massive creatures, green goop, a group of lost souls, and so much more. It is going to be a far more tedious journey than they thought. Finding Emma will lead them into chaos, destruction, and pain.

This fantasy novel was so "on-edge" with all of the superstitions coming to life and the "journey" that Pao and Dante go on to try to find Emma. I loved the characters and I think Rick Riordan readers will thouroughly enjoy this one, too. Since this was my first Riordan read, I was not prepared for the length of the story. I think about 3/4th's of the way through I felt like the story dragged on. There were scenes in the cactus field that I felt like could have been cut out, but again, I am not familiar with this kind of series. However, I know my fantasy lovers who do enjoy books like this will want more and more!