Summer of the Mariposas

Summer of the Mariposas | Guadalupe Garcia McCall

A sweet middle grade read for anyone who enjoys #magicalrealism #retellings of the #TheOdyssey with #sisters who fight but have an unbreakable bond. Their quest takes them from Texas, across the border to #Mexico, and back. And this is an #ownvoices book too!

flying_monkeys On a side note, in her Author‘s Note, McCall writes about why she chose La Llorona and how she finds the legend‘s behavior “too abhorrent an act for any mother to carry through.” The author‘s view of mothers & motherhood is sweet but naïve. She obviously has had little to no experience with toxic mothers and/or the mothers who murdered their children purely for selfish reasons. See Diane Downs and Susan Smith for modern examples. 6y

flying_monkeys Also, the publisher created a “Mythological Glossary for Summer of the Mariposas” which shows all the parallels to The Odyssey https://www.leeandlow.com/images/pdfs/Mythological_Glossary.pdf 6y

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flying_monkeys

Summer of the Mariposas | Guadalupe Garcia McCall

“It was a magical time, full of dreaminess and charm, a time to watch the mariposas emerge out of their cocoons, gather their courage, and take flight while we floated faceup in the water. And that‘s exactly what we were doing the morning the body of a dead man drifted into our swimming haven.” (p. 4)

#currentlyreading #ownvoices #Mexico #magicalrealism #retellings #TheOdyssey

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BookInMyHands

Summer of the Mariposas | Guadalupe Garcia McCall

pick

When Odilia and her sisters find a dead body floating in the river they decide to take him back to his family in Mexico.

This Mexican American retelling of The Odyssey was engaging, and the magic realism was delightful.

#crossculturalstories

WhatDeeReads Whoa. This is a thing I did not know I wanted. 6y

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