Charlie Hernandez and the League of Shadows by Ryan Calejo
The Hook:
Charlie Hernandez has always been proud of his Latin American heritage. Thanks to his abuela he has learned all the monsters and ghouls who have been the characters in Latin American myths and legends. Sometimes his grandmother hinted that the tales were more than myths—that they might be true—but Charlie does not believe that. He knows they are just make-believe stories that try to scare little kids into behaving.
When Charlie’s parents go missing after their house burned down, Charlie must go to foster care and live with Mrs. Wilson, an old lady that collects creepy dolls. She is strange but she leaves Charlie alone for the most part.
But then Charlie begins to grow a claw—yes, a claw—like a lobster claw--and then feathers and even horns. It is all too similar to one of the characters in a mythology story his grandma told him long ago. Suddenly Charlie is swept into a world of mythical beings—some good, some evil. Even more unsettling, they all seem to know more about Charlie than he even knows about himself.
When Charlie’s classmate (who he has a crush on) Violet Rey discovers his secret, he is mortified. He thinks she will be disgusted and horrified by his claw. But instead, Violet Ray who wants to be a journalist is intrigued and she decides to help him. Together they discover a map inside an old locket of his mother’s. The map leads them to a cemetery. Soon, Charlie finds himself in battle with La Liga—a secret society sworn to protect the land of the living—and La Mano Peluda (the Hairy Hand), an evil spirit determined to rule humankind. With only the help of Violet Ray and his grandmother’s stories to guide him, Charlie must navigate a world of monsters to figure out what is going on and hopefully save his missing parents and even the world. This book is in our library. It is also in Sora and Axis 360 as an eBook. It is 10 AR points.
My Thoughts and Recommendations (Careful! There Could Be Spoilers!):
I loved this book! It is long though (330 pages) and could be a little difficult to sort through with the mythology (if you are not familiar with the stories like me). But it is wonderfully entertaining and fun! I love that it introduces those of us that are not familiar with the history of Hispanic myths and legends and there is a glossary at the back of the book that elaborates further on the characters. There are words in Spanish which Charlie uses to talk to the villains and heroes and then translates for Violet. This will be especially loved but Latinx and Hispanic families, but it is wildly fun for all. This is the first book in a series of 3. I recommend this for students in 6th-8th grades. 4.7 stars.
