I loved this retelling of Don Quixote. The story is fun but also true to the classic. The graphics are beautiful and I really enjoyed reading this. I would buy it for my niece.

ucia Castillo is in middle school in a small Texas town. But she is also a knight in training. Her grandfather had been a knight/monster hunter in the tradition of Don Quixote and he had started initiating Lucia into this tradition before he disappeared. Lucia and her best friend Sandro get sucked into adventures and danger when they learn that there are more things hidden in their town then most folks know. And when the town is placed in grave danger, will Lucia and Sandro find the courage and pluck to thwart the villain's evil plans? Nicely illustrated in vibrant colors with an interesting mix of monsters.

Thanks Netgalley for the chance to read this title.

I really wanted to like this, but I am DNFing at 25%. I imagine this book was going to be a modern retelling of Dan Quixote but in the first quarter of the book we have a young woman and her grandfather telling her stories about being a knight. Everybody considers him crazy both in his family and around his neighborhood. Eight years later, Lucia is still into the ideas of knights in shining armor and grand adventures. This that gets her into trouble. Her age is hard to guess probably between 13 and 15 considering the story starts out eight years ago. I think the reason that the first quarter of this book annoys me is that Lucia is always in trouble. She’s in trouble for being an imaginative child. She’s in trouble for being rambunctious. And then the adults around here are just so annoying. There’s one scene where Lucy it goes to do her knightly business and help somebody who’s being bullied, she runs into a water tower and causes it to fall over. This gets her in trouble with the mayor, which gets her in trouble with her parents, and her parents have to do time volunteering to help pay for the mayors car that was hurt destroyed by the falling water tower. At the same time they also have to hide Lucia’s grandmother, who is undocumented. What annoys me about this book is there is no way one child running into a water tower lake can cause the water tower to fall. If it did, they would be a much bigger problem and the mayor wouldn’t be mad at the parents. Parents will be suing the mayor. I went into this book expecting an out of this world, crazy adventure tale, but this book is already unbelievable and far-fetched in the most annoying way. I have no desire to finish this tail. The world is coded as evil and cruel and nothing good. If that is the case, why would it be worth saving.

A delightful retelling of an old classic with a great lesson to be learned. Illustration were bright and eye catching. Overall a very enjoyable read.

I am in love with this book! The supernatural creatures, the family stress, the magical helmet, and a great friendship were some of my favorite parts. I also loved the pacing, graphics, and language use. It is great for kids, teens, and adults! I can't recommend this highly enough.

✨ Review ✨ Doña Quixote: Rise of the Knight by Rey Terciero; Illustrated by Monica M. Magaña

Inspired by the classic Don Quixote, this middle grades graphic novel follows Lucia, a girl in a small Texas town, mourning the loss of her beloved abuelo. Most of the town thought her abuelo was kind of weird, dressing up as a knight and chasing monsters. When Lucia puts on her helmet and realizes she too can see monsters, she starts off on quests to battle evil in her town.

The illustrations are gorgeous and the book does a really lovely job at incorporating Spanish language phrases and traditional Mexican & Aztec folklore with creatures like a chupacabra, nagual, duendes, and more! The pages are so colorful, and I especially loved the ones that came alive with color and magic behind the mask!

This beautiful book was a blast to read with my 10yo, and I loved the representation of difficult topics (immigration, power and the working-class , etc.) on the pages.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5)
Genre: middle grade graphic novel, fantasy
Setting: small town Texas
Pub Date: September 5, 2023

Read this if you like:
⭕️ middle grade graphic novels
⭕️ folklore-inspired fantasy
⭕️ heroic kids (learning lessons along the way, like prepare before you go into battle 😂 !)

Thanks to Henry Holt and Company, Storygram, and #netgalley for an advanced e-copy of this book!

Rey Terciero is the king of graphic novel retellings and this one was a lot of fun. I loved that her noble steed was a donkey and her best friend was a ballerino!! Their friendship was truly special, but so was the relationship Lucia had with her grandparents. Abuela was my favorite character.

I have never read "Don Quixote", but I really enjoyed this graphic novel. It has made me want to read the original work.

I love Don Quixote and I was so excited about the premise of this! This is such a fantastic idea. [more of this please!!!]

I loved the rep (MC feisty knight Latina, and her best friend boy who does ballet). That being said, that was about it and all we got to know of our two main characters. I wanted more dimensions and depth to the characters. Maybe I was just too excited about this concept and so my expectations were unfair, or maybe this one just didn't do it for me.

I hope it really lands for some kiddos who find it, though!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A wonderful modern version of Don Quixote. It captures the magical realism of Latin American lore and Lucia is an inspiring protagonist.

This was so much fun! I had a great time reading it. The art was cute, too. The plot was pretty cheesy and predicable, but it was still enjoyable. I liked the combination of Spanish, Mexican, and Central American cultures, even if it's not very accurate to the history of Don Quixote. The main character was kind of annoying, especially when she continued to not think things through, but that gave her something to learn and grow from. The ending was also very conventent and quick. Despite those things, it was fun and I'll definitely order it for my library.

After reading Don Quixote last year I was excited to pick up this modern retelling and was not disappointed!
This delightful story introduces Lucia as the granddaughter of the crazy grandpa who ran around town pretending to be a knight before he died mysteriously one night. We pick up a decade later as Lucia takes up her role as the defender of the Texas town, assisted by her best friend Sandro, and her trusty donkey, Rocky. As Lucia dons her grandpa's helmet she is enlightened to the numerous creatures intermingled in our society, unbeknown to the average person.
Now we follow Lucia into different situations around town as she barrels forward before learning the entire story. Unsurprisingly, Lucia often ends up in trouble, and one situation results in damaging the Mayor's car which lands Lucia's parents in the group of night workers finishing a special project in order to make up for the damage Lucia caused. Lucia is suspicious about the Mayor, but is banned from visiting the project site and told to stay away from the Mayor. We follow Lucia, Sandro, and Rocky throughout the city as they encounter more and more unique situations, but Lucia cannot help coming back to the Mayor and her gut feeling that he is behind a sinister plot. In the midst of chaos, Lucia and Sandro do manage to save the city and bring their families closer together by the end.
This is a great story for teens who like adventure and fantasy. The incorporation of Hispanic heritage is well done, boosting the characterization and storytelling elements. I so enjoyed this read and finished it in one day as it kept me quite engaged. Well written and would recommend.

Thank you Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Henry Holt and Co., and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this great book. This is a wonderful contemporary retelling of the classic Don Quixote with a Mexican mythology twist. Full of magic, action, and fabulous illustrations, this is a fun, quick read.

A fun adventure of Lucia, who wants to be a knight like her Abuelo, who was considered crazy. She fights monsters and her parents (and even her best friend) until she learns to reconsider her assumptions and re-envision her options. This retelling of Quixote mixes Spanish words and folklore into the contemporary world and its problems. Ghosts, monsters, and la llorona cannot compete with a girl's bravery and her grandparent's influence!

This is an exciting graphic novel with a fast-paced story and vibrant illustrations. A fun take on Don Quixote, this story will appeal to a wide variety of readers. Highly recommend!

Fun adaptation of Don Quixote, updated for the contemporary era and re-imagined as a magical fantasy. It's a quick read and draws from Aztec myth (particularly monsters). Could be a part of a series potentially

I learned a lot about Don Quixote in this suspenseful retelling, full of spooky ghosts and magic, family drama, lots of twists and turns, and a south Texas setting! If you like stories with female protagonists that are sometimes "too much," ghosts that might be good or bad, and magic that not everyone can see, you'll love this terrific graphic novel about a girl trying to uphold her grandfather's legacy and protect the town she loves. Recommended for grades 4+. Thanks to NetGalley for sharing an eARC.

This is such a wonderful continuation of the legend of Don Quixote. I was allowed the privilege of reading an ARC (advanced reading copy) from NetGalley and fell in love instantly.
My elementary schoolers will adore this book as much as I did. The artwork is so crisp, colorful, and striking. The use of Spanish within the text to highlight Lucia’s culture was wonderful, and it was always translated or reiterated for those who do not read Spanish so I never felt like I wasn’t aware of what was happening.
I loved the use of mythology and the use of magic. The heredity in Lucia’s magic was genius, and the parallels of her story with that of Don Quixote’s was wonderful. Don had Sancho and Lucia has Sandro. Both stories end with the overcoming of great odds at the expense of the hero’s reputation. I enjoyed this one immensely.

I think kids will dig the adventure and introduction to these magical beasts. The novel's headstrong MC will be one kids that like to jump into action will connect with!

Any book or graphic novel that makes me cry happy tears has a special place in my heart. Doña Quixote is probably one of my favorite graphic novels of 2023. Not only are the illustrations beyond gorgeous, but the storyline tackles some very important subjects.

Lucia Castillo is a middle-grade student trying her best to survive this sometimes tough stage of growing up. She lives in Laredo, Texas, and she has a very loving family. Unfortunately, Lucia sometimes gets too carried away, distinguishing what is helping people or getting into trouble. Her abuelo (grandpa) always told her she was a knight and had to help her community and fight for them. Things start to get a little troublesome for Lucia after an incident involving the mayor and her family steps in and wants her to get her head out of the clouds. This story has a mixture of the beloved story Don Quixote and National Treasure. It will definitely enlighten anyone who reads it.