Jalisco (Spanish edition), by Kayden Phoenix

This book is a beauty - the images are colorful, well drawn and dynamic. The story is heart-breaking and opens the door for lots of discussion. I am happy to have it in my FVR library, and my students are drawn to it.

I must share a few reservations about it, however. The story is a bit hard to follow, with flashbacks, and many parts of the storyline aren't explained, which leaves you confused and guessing. A number of my level 4-5 students abandoned it before they finished even though they were initially excited for it. I also noticed a couple tiny errors (spelling, "a" instead of "ha"). I think native speakers will love it, but depending on the kid, only intermediate mid-high proficiency will likely follow the storyline.

Just a personal opinion: I really hated that the "villain" of the story was another woman who was a "traitor to her gender." The femicidios in Mexico are a complex problem, and I'm in no place to diagnose or write about them myself. However, young readers MAY walk away from this book seeing women themselves as the root of the problem.