Wow what a little gem of a story. This is exactly why I read middle grade - to find books that tackle big issues for a younger audience with creative storytelling.

Seriously, this book deals with big themes: life vs. death, choice vs. destiny, good will vs. expectations. It takes on these questions through the common game of Loteria, played by the characters of Life and Death. Throughout the story, both Life & Death make sure to note that Clara's destiny has already predetermined and they are merely flipping the cards over that reveal her fate. However, things happen during this story that bring that idea into question.

I especially loved the ending - it honestly was not what I would expect from a middle grade read and I think that's why I loved it so much. I like that actions and choices have consequences and I like that this book teaches young readers to make the choices they can live or die with. It also teaches kids to think about seemingly impossible situations with critical thinking. There's a lot of good lessons in here.

I feel like I need to mull this one over for a bit, but I was definitely pleasantly surprised. I put it right on my Amazon wishlist. I have the ARC from Netgalley, which was downloaded as a pdf in black and white. I can only imagine how beautiful the illustrations are in color. You know, I wouldn't be surprised if I read this again in the near future and bumped it up to 5 stars. We'll see.

I was not ready for Loteria. I had anticipated a fairly light contemporary fantasy but was given so much more. Loteria takes the folklore of Hispanic culture and intertwines it with the classic game. I loved the introduction of heavily steeped culture-related characters, allowing for children to be introduced to different types of mythology. I enjoyed the banter and theme of life and death that resonated throughout the book. Even though this is a children's book, I feel death is not approached enough in their stories. It is a theme that everyone will encounter but is not spoken about. The heavy themes were allowed to be approached because Valenti used cultural folklore to ease readers into them. My only caveat is the pacing and skimming of the actual game Loteria. I felt this could have been a faster-paced read especially since it is aimed at middle graders. While I appreciate the game aspect of the book, I wanted more explanation and involvement. Some of the cards images didn't really align.

This book turned out to be a lot darker and sadder then I thought it was going to be. When recommending to children, I would recommend this book to more mature or older children. That said, it was still a very interesting and magical story to read. I learned a lot about a new culture and magical experiences.

This book was a lot different than I expected. It was very heavily focused on fate vs free will, which was very thought provoking. It was less "whimsical" fantasy and closer to a dark, grim fairy tale at times. I really enjoyed the inclusion of Mexican lore and culture. Readers that enjoy dark fairy tales and perhaps even horror might like this one.

I liked it but didn't love it. The imagery is good. The character development is good. I would purchase a copy for my niece and nephew who we play this game with. I think it really is aimed at younger readers. My 9 year old niece will enjoy it more than I did.

Soulful and heartwarming, LOTERÍA brings a rich Mexican myth infused joy of a story. Our hero Clara goes on a fantastical journey to save someone she dearly loves. Readers will be delighted with her magical journey where
drawings come to life, archetypes of the Loteria game are a vibrant aspect of the story.

Best of all was my connection to Clara, a girl who can recognize talent in others, but not in herself. She is courageous, smart, she has tight knit connection to her family, and a lovely relationship with the character of Esteban. I loved LOTERÍA by Karla Arenas Valenti!

I wanted to love this book. The overall story of Life and Death playing a game of chance in a magical kingdom intrigued me. However, I felt that the story as a whole didn’t work, especially for a middle grade book. The author plays with the concept of free will versus choice and discusses this argument at length through the book. In my opinion, this concept is a little above the target audience. I felt like this story had the makings of a great book, with the characters and the way the game impacted Clara’s journey, but it fell flat on execution.

I received an advance review copy for free for NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a beautifully woven and rich in Mexican folklore tale. The characters are all almost magical, and the story so engaging. My 12 year old daughter read this before I did and she adored it. We sat together and discussed Clara and her family. We both learned many new things about Mexican folklore and culture. It was a great learning experience for the both of us. My daughter admires Clara’s strength and her courage. The whole story is wonderful and so touching.

I would like to think the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for the chance to read and review this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Many years ago in a small village in Oaxaca, Mexico, lived Clara, a girl who will soon have a dangerous adventure. She comes from a loving and talented family, all the members of the family have some gift that seems magical, all except Clara.

One day, after a tragic incident, her life becomes intertwined in a game. Life and Death play Loteria and argue about destiny and free will. Clara will travel to Asrean to rescue her cousin, and Life and Death will follow her journey.

Love the journey, an interesting, beautiful place, but also dangerous, I liked that it was inspired by real places, part of the Mexican folklore. Feels a little like a fairy tale, to save her cousin, Clara will have to pass difficult tests and pay high prices. It is a story about family love, courage, and bravery.

Also, the illustrations were gorgeous.

It did not seem like a very dark story to me until the last pages, where I felt more rushed and did not see it coming, apart from that, it was a good story, Clara is a good protagonist, easy to love and understand, you just want that she saves her cousin and they both go home.

I love the scenes with her family, what a beautiful family nucleus she has, they are warm and good people.

Loteria is a short, entertaining, magical book that talks about different important and strong topics, but in an easy way.

This would be a perfect addition for my middle schoolers. It is a beautiful story about a girl who can see other people's gifts, but not her own, and a wonderfully fantastic world where all myths of Mexico coincide.

Thank you to @netgalley for this advanced reader's copy for an honest review.

Lotería by Karla Arenas Valenti, 293 pages. Alfred A. Knopf (Random House Children’s Books), 2021. $17. CENTERING ME
Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Life and Death get to play their game, la Lotería, once a year. This time, Clara (11yo) has been chosen as the object of their game. With each card, her life progresses towards the unknown, and not even the players know what fate holds for Clara.
Valenti’s writing is vibrant, just as visually appealing as Sanmar’s illustrations. As readers follow Life, Death, Clara, and other characters, our eyes are opened to details of Mexican culture and mythology. Sometimes the frequent use of Spanish words and phrases was distracting, but I mostly found the use of Spanish to be like an invitation to become part of Clara’s world.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Loteria was a difficult story for me to read. It begins as an ancient wind chooses a child victim (pawn or subject) for a yearly game of Loteria. If the charming gentleman Life, wins, the subject gets a long life and a parting gift, if beautiful and vain miss Death wins, the subject gets a personal escort (and the parting gift). Yay? Who wouldn't line up, right? But life is hard sometimes, so we read on.

If Loteria rules aren’t followed, Life and Death won’t get to see each other for their delightful 3-day game each year! Crud! That would be bad!

Let's examine the possible alternatives where free-will reins:
1) A child (and/or friends & relatives) won't be subjected to the deadly features on the game tablet (spider, scorpion, bear...),
2) A child will live its life with normal challenges rather than horrific "teachable" moments,
3) A child will risk short or long life according to their own choices and the choices of others (free-will), nature, accidents, etc.,
4) Life and Death might pool their powers and HELP a child every year.
But no, trauma, grief, death, and maybe pulling through a harrowing experience--so the lovely couple can see each other each year for a couple of days. Yay for them!

A love story for the ages? No. Love cannot exist with such selfishness. No amount of "caring" for the child could make up for their selfish reasons for the game. It is all hollow; a two-dimensional show.

Aside from the basis of the story being rotten... I enjoyed the story about Clara. It was fanciful, perilous, and sometimes thought provoking. It also seemed contrived and convenient at times, as if the author got stuck and needed an out sometimes. And some points were repeated without need.

My suggestion would be to rework the reason why Life and Death were playing the game. I felt no sympathy or caring for their wants, and found them dull and plodding--all because of their motivation.

**SPOILER ALERT **

Regarding the part when Death turned a bird into a flower for her dress? Not even a bird? Heartless and cruel. I liked her even less, and cared nothing for her magical abilities.

Life and Death
While I understand that The characters Life and Death are similar to the ancient myth gods of Rome and Greece, etc.; fickle, narcissistic, selfish, and usually caring little or nothing for the mortals they toy with, for some reason, it was especially callus to read of this pair's vanity and pure self-interest.

Game Rules
Life and Death can only grant the one prize—to the ancient wind-chosen player—except, well, it turns out that it was more of a suggestion. Were they not aware of the fine print of the game rules? Did they lose the instruction page from the original box? They have pretty important jobs for believing they have absolutely no other options, then make everyone take the deal behind door number 3.

Free-Will
A discussion about free-will (self determinism) vs fate (no choices, “the inevitable”) is at the heart of this book. Sadly, it comes up short. For a grade-school level debate, I would give it a D-. For some excellent viewpoints, search science fiction. (Even cartoons have some good examples.)

Key points are left out, such as “believing you have no power over your fate could have devastating consequences for your life,” making the “debate” more confusing—and focused on flirting—than the discussion in the story.

2/5 Stars
Even the subject of Free-Will is mishandled and will leave young readers confused.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the free preview of this ebook.

#Lotería #NetGalley

I really loved this book. I usually have high expectations for middle grades and this didn’t disappoint. Being Mexican myself, I could see myself represented in this and it would be a very good addition to classrooms across the world

This was a fun book based on a card game I played with some of my good friends in elementary and middle school. I really enjoyed this.

Lotería by Karla Arenas Valenti is a masterpiece of magical realism, transporting the reader to the mythical Kingdom of Las Pozas and into a game of chance betwixt Life and Death.

Life and Death meet each year to play the card game Lotería with the highest of stakes: a person’s life. If Life wins the game, the person lives to old age. If Death wins, they perish early. Unbeknownst to her, eleven year old Clara is this year’s chosen person whose life is at stake. Each card Life and Death flip will impact her life, from a scorpion to an arrow to El Diablo. But Clara is simply living her life, and when her little cousin disappears, she follows him all the way to the mysterious Kingdom of Las Pozas. It is there she will have to confront who she is and what she’s willing to risk to save her cousin.

This story is beautifully told, a tapestry of well-developed characters moving through a tightly woven plot. Life and Death’s conversations are philosophical and thought provoking, while Clara’s journey will leave the reader holding their breath and thinking of ways for her to succeed.

Every character, from major players to minor appearances, is superbly well developed. The settings are gorgeously described, painting vivid images that will stay with the reader long after the last page. The real- life inspired settings of Oaxaca City and the Árbol del Tule felt just as real as the stunning as the mythical realm in which Clara and her cousin find themselves.

As a reader, I was fully absorbed into this story. I couldn’t stop thinking about the book when I wasn’t reading it, and my fingers itched to pick it up each time reality intervened and made me exist outside the wondrously crafted world Valenti has given us.

This book is perfect for fans of magical realism and those who like darker, thought provoking stories. It has universal themes of familial love, self-doubt, and finding strength when you most need it. There are some elements of hero’s journey and fairy tale components, yet it also stands alone as its own unique blend. As far as middle grade goes, it is darker than typical middle grade fare and there is a spoiler at the end of the post to address this, if it is something you’re worried about. I recommend it for older middle grade readers and YA readers as well.

Lotería has the deep messaging of Coco with the dangerous yet whimsical nature of Alice in Wonderland, combined to make a one of kind story that will both make you think and break your heart.

Thank you to author Karla Arenas Valenti, Random House Children’s, Knopf Books for Young Readers, and Net Galley for an advanced copy such that I could write this review.

This was a quick read for me. The story was very interesting and I couldn't put it down once I started reading. The theme of the story does get a little heavy; but it's not entirely too much for middle grade readers, in my opinion. I loved the author's notes at the ending of the book. They describe some of the places, themes, character inspiration from the story.

Overall I think this book is a good conversation starter about fate, our choices and the consequences they create, and life and death.

Thanks to Random House Children's, Knopf Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the ARC!

From the first page of this story, I was drawn into this adventure. I was pulled into the game and the story, and I wanted to follow along on this amazing adventure. The story is so full of heart, adventure, culture, lessons, imagination, wonder and so much more that I couldn't put it down. I loved every moment and immediately bought a cope for my nephew. This story needs to be always celebrated. It is amazing!

I received an ARC via NetGalley and Random House Children's, Knopf Books for Young Readers and I am leaving an honest review.

Lotería is an interesting book to read and review because while it is a middle grade, it also tackles the theme of free will in a very dark but magical way. Lotería is an intriguing story that doesn't have much world-building or a complex magic system, but it's the concept and the characters that drive the story. I can't say that this book was fun to read because while it is very whimsical, it is also super heavy. Also, that ending. Is. Very. Sad. And. Heartbreaking.

I'm definitely going to check out more from this author because this was nothing like what I was expecting!

Each fork in the road of life feels like a decision one chooses to make; but how many of those moments truly involve free will? Life and Lady Death, or Catrina as she prefers to be known, have joined together for yet another game of Lotería in which they play to reveal the fate of one preselected human. Eleven-year-old Clara is the unsuspecting focus of the game, and her destiny is tied inextricably to the cards being played. As each fateful round of Lotería unfolds, Clara’s life takes seismic turns while she pursues her heartbroken cousin Esteban through countless dangers in an effort to return him safely home.

Profound and thought-provoking, this tale transports readers to Oaxaca City, Mexico, where the sights and sounds of Mexican culture pour from each page. Elegant descriptions of the varied settings in which this tale takes place paint vivid pictures for readers whether or not they have visited Oaxaca themselves. From cultural references to the decadent flavors of tamales and chocolate, English and Spanish words come together to weave a multifaceted mental tapestry.

At the age of eleven, Clara is coming to terms with who she is and who she wants to become. Though she lacks outward prowess in any one skill, she nonetheless is the one family member to track Esteban into an unusual and nefarious parallel world. Initially insecure, Clara’s promise to protect her cousin propels her to make decisions she otherwise might not, helping her to develop into a markedly more mature version of herself. But the question lingers; is she making decisions for herself? Or has every action been predetermined?

Through the voice of an omniscient narrator, the plot shifts among characters to give readers a full sense of each of the moving pieces in this story. Not only do the human protagonists undergo growth in the narrative, but the supernatural characters do, as well. Occasional illustrations and brief chapters make the story accessible to newer middle grade readers, but the depth of the overall message is suitable for all ages. An author’s note at the end dives into some of the more complex elements of the plot, inviting readers to enhance their understanding after the story ends. Gorgeous in its design and superb in its delivery, this is a high-class addition to library collections for middle grade readers.

This book was SO GOOD. I was expecting a magical middle grade adventure and it was, but it was also surprisingly dark. Like. I would not give this to a young or sensitive kid unless you're prepared for a lot of tears and possible nightmares. I even cried at the end. It was beautiful, and the darkness only enhanced that beauty.

It was also not focused solely on the kids as I expected. The story revolves around Clara, who is around middle-school age, and Esteban, who is 8, but also focuses on Life and Catrina (Death) who are immortal adults.

The illustrations were lovely and I enjoyed seeing some of the scenes that were described. Which brings me to the descriptions: they were lush and beautiful and made me feel like I was transported to the setting of the book. So many of the foods and plants and other details were unfamiliar to me, but they were described so well I felt I could almost taste and see them.

I also really enjoyed the book-long debate between Life and Catarina about whether anyone had choices / free will or if everything in life was predetermined, and how the story flowed around that framework and offered evidence for both sides.

Highly recommend.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's for providing an e-arc for review.