When Odilia and her four sisters find a dead body in the swimming hole, they embark on a hero s journey to return the dead man to his family in Mexico. But returning home to Texas turns into an odyssey that would rival Homer s original tale. With the supernatural aid of ghostly La Llorona via a magical earring, Odilia and her little sisters travel a road of tribulation to their long-lost grandmother s house. Along the way, they must outsmart a witch and her Evil Trinity: a wily warlock, a coven of vicious half-human barn owls, and a bloodthirsty livestock-hunting chupacabras. Can these fantastic trials prepare Odilia and her sisters for what happens when they face their final test, returning home to the real world, where goddesses and ghosts can no longer help them? Summer of the Mariposas is not just a magical Mexican American retelling of The Odyssey, it is a celebration of sisterhood and maternal love. Check out the Vamos a Leer Educator's Guide for Summer of the Mariposas created by the staff at the Latin American & Iberian Institute (LAII). Read the first three chapters of Summer of the Mariposas online here. Check out Why Culturally Responsive Literature Matters in Middle and High School for Summer of the Mariposas. Learn more about Guadalupe Garcia McCall in Guadalupe García McCall: A Storyteller of Cultures and Odysseys by R. Joseph Rodríguez and KaaVonia Hinton in SIGNAL journal, the Journal of the International Reading Association s Special Interest Group: Network on Adolescent Literature.

Review

Originality and vibrancy shine through to make [this story] a worthwhile read. --Kirkus Reviews

Best Children's Books of the Year, Bank Street College of Education
Best Books of the Year, School Library Journal

Amelia Bloomer Project - Feminist Task Force, American Library Association (ALA)
Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy Finalist, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
Lone Star Reading List, Texas Library Association (TLA)

About the Author

was born in Mexico and moved to Texas as a young girl, keeping close ties with family on both sides of the border. Trained in Theater Arts and English, she now teaches English/Language Arts at a junior high school. Her poems for adults have appeared in more than twenty literary journals. McCall is an up-and-coming talent whose debut YA novel, Under the Mesquite, won the Pura Belpré Award and was named a Morris Award finalist. McCall lives with her husband and their three sons in the San Antonio, Texas, area. You can find her on the Web at guadalupegarciamccall.com.