One of my favorite books of the year. Adrianna Cuevas does a marvelous job of layering many different elements in this story. The setting in the New Mexico desert is beautiful but a bit eerie, its isolation allows for beautiful friendships to form among various characters. This book kept me guessing all the way through. I had no idea who the "ghosts" were until near the end and I loved how it wrapped up. Adrianna Cuevas does a masterful job of capturing the spirit and mindset of teens and the dynamic between the MC and his ailing Mother made me cry but was also very sweet.
Cuevas took on two topics that are not very often tackled in middle grade lit - lingering grief and PTSD and she did so with a perfect touch. I have already recommended this to three students (just put it on the shelf 2 weeks ago) and they LOVED it. Grades 5+ and up.

All of Adrianna Cuevas’s books beg to be read aloud. There’s just the right balance of Spanish words, humor, seriousness, and descriptions of her culture. I always want to cook something mentioned in the story. Having heard her as a virtual visiting author, I pretend she’s telling the story right to me and I hear her voice. My middle schoolers will love this one come fall when we go back to school. They’ll like Rafa’s love for video games, too!

I really enjoyed this author's other books, but this one felt too out there and weird both in terms of the plot and the MCs obsession with gaming which made him feel just....weird? Such a shame, because all of the characters other than the MC (both of them) were really appealing and I'd love to learn more about them.

Well. I finished this one on audio while doing some driving this past weekend and ended up crying on the highway 🤣.
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Yes, there are many funny discussions on whether Cuban or Korean snacks are superior. Yes, there are spooky hijinks like color-changing horses and language-switching books. And yes, there is loads of d&d-like content. BUT also there is one kid with a dead dad and one with a sick mom sooooo.... The grief stuff is kinda everywhere too.
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(If you read this one, did you cry during that one library computer scene at the end? Cause that's the one that did me in 🥲.)
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Anyways, this is definitely another winner by Adrianna, and I'm not just saying that cause of all the horses. (Mostly 👀.) I think a lot of kids will enjoy the mystery at its center, and for those thinking about the audio, Anthony Rey Pérez does an excellent job narrating.
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Highly recommend ✨

I loved this book. Right from the start, Cuevas gives such a unique voice to Rafa, a middle school age boy sent to a ranch after a school prank/adventure episode gone wrong. Rafa's love of a D + D like RPG weaves into the plot where things at the ranch start going wrong almost as soon as he arrives and also helps him make sense of his world which includes his mom's battle with cancer. Most of the side characters, except his dad and his dad's friend who owns the ranch, had their own voices and struggles which enhance the story as well. I even loved the ultimate explanation for the weirdness. I highly recommend this book and am now excited to read one of my SCASL (South Carolina Association of School Librarians Book Award) books written by the same author.

Cuban American Rafa and his friends planned to end sixth grade with an epic prank based on their fantasy role-playing game. What Rafa got was an epic fail and a one-way ticket to spend the summer working on a ranch in New Mexico. There, amidst the horse poop, dust, and spiders, he teams up with Korean American Jennie, whose vibrant energy matches Rafa’s colorful imagination. Can the pair get to the bottom of the supernatural changes afflicting the aptly named terror ranch? The friendship feels real and the pair’s connection to the African American disabled vet who runs the stable is affecting. What doesn’t work well is the goofy mishmash of supernatural occurrences that feels more Scooby Doo than middle grade. Equally unbelievable is a pivotal fifty-two-year-old character who behaves and sounds like a twelve-year-old, and adults who unquestioningly believe serious allegations from a random stranger. Thanks to Farrar, Straus & Giroux and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez so I was thrilled to get an advanced reader copy of Adrianna Cuevas's newest middle grade book (Thank you Macmillian Children’s Publishing Group and NetGalley)! My upper elementary students are always asking for horror fiction and ghost stories, so I was particularly excited to get my hands on what I thought would be a good fit for those requests. There's definitely an aspect of creepy in this book, but it's more in the form of suspense and mystery, and less in the spooky paranormal. This book crosses several genres, fitting comfortably in mystery, magical realism, adventure, science fiction and finally ghost stories. It has plenty of humor, great relationships, real life challenges and real life consequences. Fun, interesting characters throughout the story. Jennie Kim was my favorite, and I loved the mix of Korean and Cuban culture brought about by her friendship with Rafa. This book wasn't quite what I expected and definitely had its share of twists and surprises. It kept me reading and engaged and I would have no hesitation recommending it to my students.

This book was odd. I will say it keeps the reader on their toes. I thought I had things figured out and then the book would take a very different direction. That being said, the message is a good one. Sometimes it is hard to accept things that seem like they are out of our power. When we are faced with possibly losing those that we love, it can be hard to know how you feel or where you fit in the world. It can feel like everything you once know, like the fact that a horse is a horse it can’t turn into a zebra, is just now upside down. I hurt knowing that Rafa was “banished” to a farm, taking him away from home. But I love the people and support he found.
Thank you so much to Macmillian Children’s Publishing and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

“The Ghosts of Rancho Espanto” by Adrianna Cuevas
Publishing date 4/4/23

Any place, trip, or adventure can inspire an author to create the most amazing story. This is one of those stories. “The Ghosts of Rancho Espanto” will make you laugh, pull at your heartstrings, and will amaze you with its brilliance.

The story begins with a prank by twelve-year-old Rafa and his gaming friends. It’s a prank that lands Rafa on a ranch in New Mexico, a punishment arranged for the summer by his father. But Rafa is also away from his beloved but sick mother. Despite being a punishment, the ranch begins to feel more comfortable for Rafa as he befriends the librarian’s daughter and a ranch hand. Then, a stranger appears on the ranch and very odd things begin to happen. Rafa and his new friend, Jennie, need to solve the mystery and save the ranch and themselves from the awful things that occur.

Adrianna Cuevas has created an interesting setting, striking characters, and a well-developed, unique plot with twists and unexpected turns. “The Ghosts of Rancho Espanto” is a page-turner that keeps you guessing until the very end. Who is the stranger? Is it a ghost, a guest at the ranch, or someone else? How is it possible that such unbelievable things happening on the ranch? Another great read for middle grade readers by Adrianna Cuevas!