Margarito is eleven years old now and he’s way past believing in Grandpa Ventura’s ghost stories, but he loves listening to them anyway. One evening on his way home from his grandfather’s, Margarito finds himself alone in the gathering dusk, crossing a narrow bridge. Suddenly, a woman in white floats towards him and calls, “Come to me, child … come to me!” He frantically hides in the shallow river, but soon sees a pair of yellow, glowing eyes swimming towards him. Before long, the Donkey Lady and La Llorona are circling each other, fighting to claim poor Margarito as their next victim!
Popular storyteller Xavier Garza returns with another collection of eerie tales full of creepy creatures from Mexican-American lore. There are duendes, bald, green-skinned brutes with sharp teeth; thunderbirds, giant, pterodactyl-like things that discharge electricity from their wings during thunderstorms; and blood-sucking beasts that drain every single drop of blood from their victims’ bodies!
Set in contemporary times, Garza’s young protagonists deal with much more than just the supernatural: there are chupacabras and drug dealers, witches and bullies, a jealous cousin and the devil. Accompanied by the author’s dramatic black and white illustrations, the short, blood-curdling stories in this bilingual collection for ages 8 – 12 are sure to bewitch a whole new generation of young people.
Click here to listen to an interview with Xavier Garza about The Donkey Lady Fights La Llorona and Other Stories/La Señora Asno se efrenta a La Llorona y otros cuentos.
Named to the 2016-17 Tejas Star Reading List
“An entertaining bilingual collection of short stories that feature a creepy assortment of Mexican-inspired ghosts, witches, monsters, and more. Each of the 12 chapters offers a different contemporary story following middle school-aged protagonists who come into contact with a frightening figure, like the infamous La Llorona—the weeping woman who appears near rivers and creeks looking for children to claim as her own—or the lesser-known duendes—green-skinned goblins that wreak havoc. All are written in clear, easy-to-access prose. Bilingual readers can read the lightly macabre stories twice, since they repeat in Spanish after the last chapter. Older middle-grade readers will find these Latin American horror stories deliciously short but spooky.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Together, these twelve chapters give an in depth look at Mexican and Native American folktales as well as illustrate the importance of family, faith, and culture.”—Journal of South Texas
“These Twilight Zone-creepy stories will appeal to bilingual readers who can read each one in Spanish and in English…and high-energy reluctant readers in either language. For all children who love to be scared in a safe place, The Donkey Lady Fights La Llorona and Other Stories / La señora Asno se enfrenta a la Llorona y otros cuentos is highly recommended.”—De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children
XAVIER GARZA is a prolific author, artist and storyteller whose work focuses primarily on his experiences growing up in the small border town of Rio Grande City. His work includes Maximilian & the Mystery of the Guardian Angel (Cinco Puntos Press, 2011), a Pura Belpré Honor Book; Kid Cyclone Fights the Devil and Other Stories / Kid Ciclón se enfrenta a El Diablo y otras historias (Piñata Books, 2010); Zulema and the Witch Owl / Zulema y la Bruja Lechuza (Piñata Books, 2009); Juan and the Chupacabras / Juan y el Chupacabras (Piñata Books, 2006) and Lucha Libre: The Man in the Silver Mask (Cinco Puntos Press, 2005), which were both chosen by Texas schoolchildren as the winner of the Tejas Star Book Award. He lives with his family in San Antonio.
ATOS Interest Level: Middle/Upper Grades
Category: Young Adult
ATOS English: 4.0
ATOS Spanish: 2.9
LEXILE: 610L
LEXILE SPANISH: 570L
Accelerated Reader Quiz #: 186350EN; 186350SP
