The Enchanted Life of Valentina Mejía by Alexandra Alessandri

The Enchanted Life of Valentina Mejía

Alexandra Alessandri

Atheneum Books for Young Readers · Paperback · February 13, 2024

“An exceptionally well-crafted story brimming with mythological creatures, captivating characters, and non-stop adventure.” —Christina Diaz Gonzalez, bestselling author of Invisible Encanto meets The Chronicles of Narnia by way of Colombian folklore in this “fast-paced…thrilling” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) middle grade fantasy adventure.

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Who it’s for
Colombian folklore fuels a perilous fantasy adventure through a world where legends are real.
Themes
Sibling quest to save their father, Colombian legends and mythical creatures, Protecting the earth
Pacing
Fast

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About this book

“An exceptionally well-crafted story brimming with mythological creatures, captivating characters, and non-stop adventure.” —Christina Diaz Gonzalez, bestselling author of Invisible Encanto meets The Chronicles of Narnia by way of Colombian folklore in this “fast-paced…thrilling” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) middle grade fantasy adventure.

Continue reading

To save their father’s life, a brother and sister must journey across a land full of mythical creatures and find the most powerful and dangerous of them all: the madremonte. Twelve-year-old Valentina wants to focus on drawing the real world around her and hopefully get into art school in Bogotá one day, but Papi has spent his life studying Colombia’s legendary creatures and searching for proof of their existence. So when Papi hears that a patasola—a vampire woman with one leg—has been sighted in the Andes, Valentina and her younger brother Julián get dragged along on another magical creature hunt. While they’re in the Andes, a powerful earthquake hits. Valentina and Julián fall through the earth…and find an alternate Colombia where, to Valentina’s shock, all the legends are real. To get home, Valentina and Julián must make a treacherous journey to reach this land’s ruler: the madremonte, mother and protector of the earth. She controls the only portal back to the human world—but she absolutely hates humans, and she’ll do anything to defend her land.

Legends Come Alive

Colombian folklore fuels a perilous fantasy adventure through a world where legends are real.

Come here for

  • A sibling-led journey through an alternate Colombia
  • Mythical creatures rooted in Colombian folklore

Expect

  • A treacherous quest to reach the madremonte
  • A world where legendary beings are no longer just legends

Where it sits

Magic & Fantasy82%
Caribbean & Latin American Folktales75%
US: Hispanic & Latino Stories67%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Caribbean & Latin American Folktales
  • Caribbean & Latin American Stories
  • Magic & Fantasy
Authors
Alexandra Alessandri
Publisher
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Published
February 13, 2024
Format
Paperback
Theme
Sibling quest to save their father · Colombian legends and mythical creatures · Protecting the earth
Reading lane
Caribbean & Latin American Folktales