What a great listen! My daughter loved this story and it kept both her and me engaged as we followed along. We would love to hear more about Julieta in other tales.

I love how this audiobook uses different narrators for each character. They make the story feel alive and more pleasant to listen to.

The story is rather slow at the beginning, but the pacing gets better when the mystery scene comes along. Overall, this is a very enjoyable audiobook!

In Julieta and the Diamond Enigma by Luisana Duarte Armendariz (Tu Books, 2020), nine-year-old Julieta is caught in a scandal when she and her father witness the Regent diamond being stolen. When Julieta accidentally lets the thief out of the building and she and her father are suspected, she is determined to free themselves from suspicion by solving the mystery herself.

The story took a bit of time to get started, but once Julieta is sightseeing in Paris with her father. the excitement ratchets up. Through Julieta’s eyes, we learn about art history, French history and landmarks, Greek mythology (which Julieta loves to study), and a bit about French culture.

Although I found the backstories to slow the pace at the beginning of the book, once the diamond is stolen, the introductory information seems important. We can better see Julieta’s perspective on the situation and make our own predictions.

The audiobook of Julieta and the Diamond Enigma (Live Oak Media, 2021) brings the story of bilingual Julieta (English/Spanish) to life as she travels to France with her father for a week of adventure. Because Julieta’s family speaks English and Spanish, and because a large portion of the action takes place in Paris, some Spanish and French phrases are sprinkled throughout the audio.

But for anyone who is a foreign language phobic, there are never any foreign language phrases that are cannot be easily understood with the many context clues. The author always prompts Julieta or a different character to repeat a phrase back in English, or otherwise make it clear what has been said in the foreign language. I loved hearing the proper pronunciation of the foreign text.

Different narrators lend their voices, which also helps the reader enjoy the story even more. Tweens are sure to love Julieta’s story, and the narrated audiobook is a nice choice for bringing an exciting story and a different culture to life.

Note: I received a digital copy of the audiobook for review consideration.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook!

Very cute mystery story. It includes phrases in French and Spanish that can help teach kids, and familiarize them with different languages. I loved that the story had some history included. The narrator was enjoyable to listen to and I’m excited to listen to it again with my 7 year old!

This was such a cute book. I loved it and would have loved to listen/read this as a child. I plan to read it to my little niece. I am big traveler and my favorite movies are Indian Jones , night at the museum, and national treasure. It’s a reading this book really was so fun! I think any young girl and boy really love it!

This is a very fun audiobook that would be widely age appropriate for listening in the car with the family. It is easy to follow and probably best for listening for grades 1-4.
Schools would also love teaching with this book as it incorporates multiple subject areas, critical thinking, geography, foreign languages, art, art history, and mythology.
The character does seem younger than 9 years old, but her silly vibe and quirky mistakes and antics would be a sure win for fans growing out of of Junie B Jones and Amelia Bedelia. Excellent Latinx representation in the vein of Juana and Lucas, Lola Levine, and Sofia Martinez, Definitely Dominguita, and Catalina Incognito.

Julieta and the Diamond Enigma
Luisana Duarte Armendariz
Rating: 4 stars
Julieta is a lovable 4th grader that seems to get herself into trouble without wanting to. Her parent works with museums to find art and move the art into exhibitions. When she is able to go to Paris with her father to acquire the Regent Diamond for an exhibition she gets caught in the middle of a heist and her father could possibly lose his reputation and his job. When Interpol has trouble finding the culprit she takes action and tries to help solve the crime. Can she solve the case and get home on time to see her baby brother be born or will she and her father have to spend time in prison for a crime they did not commit?

The Narrators were well selected. The voices were great and they helped me keep track of who was talking. the pace and pronunciations were well done too I listened at a 2x speed and could still understand when they spoke in other languages.

I received this audiobook from the Publisher (Spotlight Audio) via @Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
#Mystery #Action #ChildrensFiction #Adventure #MiddleGrade #Audiobook #Paris #bilingual #Hispanic #LatinMC #FemaleMC #Travel #Art #Museums #France #Boston


READING PROGRESS

This was great! I loved the art history (anything that gets kids more excited about art and Greek mythology is a win for me) and the French history in this. I thought it made all of that super accessible to younger readers and didn’t have the normal “boring” delivery of history kids hate so much. I also loved all of the French and Spanish! It’s great. I can’t wait for the next one!

I liked that it included phrases in Spanish and French to teach children. The story was educational in including history about artifacts and being descriptive so the listener can picture what is being seen.

The narrator chosen for this audiobook was a good choice. She brought out the enthusiasm the character had going to Paris for the first time.

The story was slow moving and long especially for a children's book. It took some time for anything big to happen.

Overall cute story that children can learn from.

Thank you NetGalley and the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

This is a great mystery. I loved that the narrator used words in Spanish and French. It was a great mix that any you d reader would love.

Julieta and the Diamond Enigma is a lovely bilingual story that takes children on a journey around the world.
The episodes/chapters are nice and short, the perfect length for little minds.
The narrator was easy to listen to and interesting.
Although I found it didn't hold my seven year old's attention I feel in a year it may have.
I personally found it a very sweet story and perfect for late primary or middle grade aged children.
This would be one I'd love to pick up again in the future.

I was gifted an audiobook through net galley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A very nice mystery set in the Louvre in Paris, this book has many words in French and Spanish. The mystery is a small part of the story, which is more about Julieta and her father's time in Paris and the people they meet there. Perhaps there could have been more suspense, but there was plenty of action, history, and atmosphere. I got a free copy from netgalley in exchange or an honest review

I listened to this with my younger daughter and we flew through it on the edge of our seat the whole book. She loved a few of the French words as an immersion student :)

I devoured this audiobook and I absolutely enjoyed it. A huge thanks to the publisher for my complimentary audiobook and the narrator for engrossing me in this story .

Julieta and the Diamond Enigma tells the story of a nine-year old girl who goes on her first road trip to Paris with her art historian father. There in Paris she witness an art heist (if I may use that title) . She quickly gets engrossed into that crime and oh boy doesn't it get better. It's a fast paced mystery young readers will enjoy and devour. I enjoyed it! The narration is engaging, and the various voices are fun to listen to. I love it

AUDIO BOOK
Julieta (pronounced Hoo-lee-ehh-tuh) is bilingual; she speaks both Spanish and English. She loves to help her father at the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) in Boston, MA. Unfortunately, she tends to make rash decisions and get into trouble, which affects her father's work.

Despite this, when her father goes on a quick trip to Paris, he takes Julieta for the travel experience. Then comes the bad news. The giant 104 carat Regent Diamond they were to accompany back to America, has been stolen.

If course, 9 year old Julieta cannot stay out if trouble for one week, so there's a mini scandal.

When all is said and done in all three languages; French, Spanish, and English, Julieta's brother, Antonio is born, and she is vindicated because she solves the crime.

The adult voice talents are are good. Julieta's could have used better directing (not her fault), because her tone doesn't go down at the end of some sentences where it should. One thing that bothered me was that the little girl says "fou-uhn" instead of fountain. It's a local pronunciation (from where she grew up). But again, the director should have caught it.

The story was pretty good. I enjoyed having phrases in Spanish and French, although I did not understand many of them, I caught some. And there was a lot of educational background in mythology and history that I didn't know.

Negatives:
Julieta was often the narrator, but the language was not from a 9 year old; even a well-read one. When the text used words I didn't think she would know well enough to use, I was pushed out of the story.

The dilemma: If Julieta is very advanced and does think and talk using the language used in the story, why is her reasoning so bad that she is making ridiculous mistakes and getting in "that kind" of trouble?

Julieta's father was overly harsh. Refusing to look at her (or respond when she called to him) and clenching his teeth after she was scolded by someone. She justified his actions in her mind, but she shouldn't have to face rejection (especially in public) from a parent for something so small. These types of things lead to emotional abuse and manipulation. (Again, she's only 9.)

I enjoyed the story, the museums, and travel but the negatives were substantial in my opinion.

3/5 Stars

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Print version:
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This one was hard for my daughter to get into as an audio book. However, she probably would like the physical book copy better.

A cute childrens mystery with some language learning and fun settings.
Once my daughter is middle grade I will definitely have her listen to this. It’s a a thoughtful explorations of life, travel, and listening to one’s intuition. Both Boston and Paris were described well and the mystery unravels in exactly the way a middle grader can appreciate.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher Spotlight Audio for the alc in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
Julieta and the Diamond Enigma by Luisana Duarte Armendáriz follows an adventurous nine-year-old girl named Julieta. Julieta is on her first trip to Paris, with her art historian father, when she witnesses a crime and becomes involved in solving the case. This is a fun international mystery and adventure story suitable for younger audiences. The multilingual aspects of this story are wonderful for young children developing an interest in new cultures and languages. I really enjoyed the pacing of the book and the story overall; my only complaint was I felt the main character read younger than the nine years she is described as. This would be a great audiobook for long car journeys with your family, the narration is engaging, and the various voices are fun to listen to.