Paola Santiago and the River of Tears
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-28 11:51:35
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Tehlor Kay Mejia
- ISBN：1368049338
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents author Tehlor Kay Mejia's thrilling adventure based on the Mexican legend of La Llorona， now in paperback。
*"A new hero's fantastic and fantastical adventure--her next appearance can't come soon enough。"--KirkusReviews （starred review）
Space-obsessed 12-year-old Paola Santiago and her two best friends， Emma and Dante， know the rule: Stay away from the river。 It’s all they’ve heard since a schoolmate of theirs drowned a year ago。 Pao is embarrassed to admit that she has been told to stay away for even longer than that， because her mother is constantly warning her about La Llorona， the wailing ghost woman who wanders the banks of the Gila at night， looking for young people to drag into its murky depths。
Hating her mother’s humiliating superstitions and knowing that she and her friends would never venture into the water， Pao organizes a meet-up to test out her new telescope near the Gila， since it’s the best stargazing spot。 But when Emma never arrives and Pao sees a shadowy figure in the reeds， it seems like maybe her mom was right。 。 。 。
Pao has always relied on hard science to make sense of the world， but to find her friend she will have to enter the world of her nightmares， which includes unnatural mist， mind-bending monsters， and relentless spirits controlled by a terrifying force that defies both logic and legend。
Part ghost story， part family story， and part hero quest， this exciting and imaginative tale will transport readers to another world。
*"A new hero's fantastic and fantastical adventure--her next appearance can't come soon enough。"--KirkusReviews （starred review）
Space-obsessed 12-year-old Paola Santiago and her two best friends， Emma and Dante， know the rule: Stay away from the river。 It’s all they’ve heard since a schoolmate of theirs drowned a year ago。 Pao is embarrassed to admit that she has been told to stay away for even longer than that， because her mother is constantly warning her about La Llorona， the wailing ghost woman who wanders the banks of the Gila at night， looking for young people to drag into its murky depths。
Hating her mother’s humiliating superstitions and knowing that she and her friends would never venture into the water， Pao organizes a meet-up to test out her new telescope near the Gila， since it’s the best stargazing spot。 But when Emma never arrives and Pao sees a shadowy figure in the reeds， it seems like maybe her mom was right。 。 。 。
Pao has always relied on hard science to make sense of the world， but to find her friend she will have to enter the world of her nightmares， which includes unnatural mist， mind-bending monsters， and relentless spirits controlled by a terrifying force that defies both logic and legend。
Part ghost story， part family story， and part hero quest， this exciting and imaginative tale will transport readers to another world。
Reviews
Beverly Beach-Goebel
，
Having been raised by a Caucasian family and only hearing tidbits of Hispanic folklore， I was thoroughly able to put myself in Paola’s world and enjoy another side of my culture
Cara
，
it was amazing！ I cant wait to read the second
Auryn Maxwell
，
I wasn't sure whether I should give this book four or five stars。 I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt。 I really enjoyed the story， but I didn't like some of the supporting characters and I found the beginning a bit rough （but then， it is the first book in a series; usually they are a bit more rough especially at the start）。 I had no idea what was coming， since I knew nothing about any of these stories beforehand， which added to my enjoyment （especially since I have been rereading a lot I wasn't sure whether I should give this book four or five stars。 I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt。 I really enjoyed the story， but I didn't like some of the supporting characters and I found the beginning a bit rough （but then， it is the first book in a series; usually they are a bit more rough especially at the start）。 I had no idea what was coming， since I knew nothing about any of these stories beforehand， which added to my enjoyment （especially since I have been rereading a lot of books recently rather than new books）。 I am excited to read the sequel to this book， even though I have no idea where the story can go from here。Also， one question:when did Pao's hair go back to normal？ Was it even mentioned， or did I just miss it？ 。。。more
Jen Bojkov
，
Kids who like Percy Jackson will most likely enjoy this too。 Pretty good action to keep the story moving。 I felt the part in the fantasy world was a little long。
Alicia Williams
，
I enjoyed this Rick Riordan Presents book。 I love the dive into Latinx culture and lore。
Kristen Lindsey
，
This was a great introduction to Latinx folklore and a flawed but loveable heroine。 Paola is the shining star in this book: she's intelligent， skeptical， brave， brash， and sometimes utterly frustrating。 Her character grows and accepts her flaws and her talents as she navigates a place she has never really believed in， and it was one wild ride。 The ending did get a little muddled for ny taste， but Paola herself is well worth reading til the end。 I already have the sequel pre-ordered and I'm excit This was a great introduction to Latinx folklore and a flawed but loveable heroine。 Paola is the shining star in this book: she's intelligent， skeptical， brave， brash， and sometimes utterly frustrating。 Her character grows and accepts her flaws and her talents as she navigates a place she has never really believed in， and it was one wild ride。 The ending did get a little muddled for ny taste， but Paola herself is well worth reading til the end。 I already have the sequel pre-ordered and I'm excited to see what she gets into next。 。。。more
Lupe（= ^ v ^ =）
，
YESS！！！ This book is an A M A Z I N G read！ I would expect no less from a collab with Rick Riordan！ I would also like to give credit to the author， Tehlor Kay Mejia。 She is a creative， inspirational， and thoughtful writer！ I am in LOVE with your book！ and I look forward to reading more from you！ :） <33
mykittyquest17
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4。5 stars I quite enjoyed this。 I loved following Pao as she struggled to save her friends from a vengeful ghost。 Pao was a great protagonist and I also loved each of her friends， and of course Boruto， her chupacabra puppy。 I also way liked the ending。 All in all this was just quite a good book。
Samm | Sassenach the Book Wizard
，
3。5/5Unfortunately， I didn't LOVE this like I was hoping I would。 There were just several parts where I had a hard time not mentally wandering off。 3。5/5Unfortunately， I didn't LOVE this like I was hoping I would。 There were just several parts where I had a hard time not mentally wandering off。 。。。more
Ginger Vampyre
，
Paola is a scientifically minded thirteen year old who rejects her mom's superstitious beliefs， at least until one her best friends goes missing and she is dreaming of a ghost。 The Gila River has always been dangerous， but it seems that danger is beyond what science can explain。 Paola must let go of everything she believes about the world to save her friend。 And in confronting her grade-school bully and a first crush and you have a growing up story with a bang！ Paola is a scientifically minded thirteen year old who rejects her mom's superstitious beliefs， at least until one her best friends goes missing and she is dreaming of a ghost。 The Gila River has always been dangerous， but it seems that danger is beyond what science can explain。 Paola must let go of everything she believes about the world to save her friend。 And in confronting her grade-school bully and a first crush and you have a growing up story with a bang！ 。。。more
Hazel
，
Ok， wow。 This one really surprised me， mostly because this is the first time in at least over a year， if not several years， that I've given a book that wasn't a reread 5 stars。 I actually considered giving this 4。75 because the only issue I had was maybe a bit more could have happened in the middle， but I decided it deserved the full 5， especially because it would be so close。This is my favorite of the Rick Riordan Presents books that I've read so far， and I would say it is the closest to his wr Ok， wow。 This one really surprised me， mostly because this is the first time in at least over a year， if not several years， that I've given a book that wasn't a reread 5 stars。 I actually considered giving this 4。75 because the only issue I had was maybe a bit more could have happened in the middle， but I decided it deserved the full 5， especially because it would be so close。This is my favorite of the Rick Riordan Presents books that I've read so far， and I would say it is the closest to his writing style。 Of course it will be a bit different because every author has a different style， but I could imagine that he would have written something like this。 I think it was less humorous than his books， but only by a little bit。 I liked how the author showed the contrast between Pao and her mom， and how it created distance between them。 While her mom is absorbed by spirits and ghosts of the past， Pao is really into science and space and looks forward to what can happen in the future， instead of to the past。 I thought that was really well done。 I also liked the discussion of racism that Pao and others in the community experience。 It's a heavy topic， but I think it works well in the context of the story。I do think the pace could have been a bit faster in the middle because not as much happened， but that's really the only criticism I have。 SpoilersI loved all the characters， from Pao to Naomi to Ondina。 Ondina was so snarky and sassy and I really loved her。 Just imaging Pao， Marisa， Naomi and Ondina fighting together on the same side brings me joy。 I think they would be a force to be reckoned with。 I hope that Ondina isn't gone for good because her character was so interesting。 I loved how Pao was able to recognize how she and Ondina are similar and to use that to get Ondina on her side。 I think that was really well done。I loved the camaraderie between Pao， Emma， and Dante， especially because it goes against the stereotypical friend group trope。 Usually if it's a group of three it would be two boys and a girl （think Percy Jackson and Harry Potter）， but here it's two girls and one boy。 I liked how they could tease each other and mess around， yet there was some tension for different reasons。 One is that Emma comes from a wealthier family， whereas Pao and Dante come from the poorer side of town。 There's also the fact that Dante has started to grow up and grow apart from them a little， making new friends while playing soccer and also gelling his hair。 Then there's the boy-girl stuff going on between Pao and Dante。 。。。more
GavShire
，
The author did a great job。 If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top
Cathie （ClassyLibrarian）
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Diverse characters in this fun and creepy read！I absolutely loved the positive message that the author gives the reader; not in a preachy way but just by way of Pao discovering truths about herself-so fantastic when a book gives young readers hope。I can't wait to read the second book in this series-hopefully it launches soon。Recommend to fans of Aru Shah and any patron who loves adventure stories。 Diverse characters in this fun and creepy read！I absolutely loved the positive message that the author gives the reader; not in a preachy way but just by way of Pao discovering truths about herself-so fantastic when a book gives young readers hope。I can't wait to read the second book in this series-hopefully it launches soon。Recommend to fans of Aru Shah and any patron who loves adventure stories。 。。。more
Becky B
，
Pao and Dante were supposed to meet their friend Emma at the river to look at the stars with a telescope， but Emma never shows。 Until that night， Pao thought her mom was embarassing and maybe a little bit crazy for her stories and beliefs in supernatural things。 But after the police fail to take Emma's absence seriously， Pao's nightmarish and very realistic dreams get more vivid， Dante's grandmother arms them with her slipper and some other odds and ends and they get swept into a fantastical wor Pao and Dante were supposed to meet their friend Emma at the river to look at the stars with a telescope， but Emma never shows。 Until that night， Pao thought her mom was embarassing and maybe a little bit crazy for her stories and beliefs in supernatural things。 But after the police fail to take Emma's absence seriously， Pao's nightmarish and very realistic dreams get more vivid， Dante's grandmother arms them with her slipper and some other odds and ends and they get swept into a fantastical world in a magical wave。 Pao and Dante have to figure out what is going on， how this place ties in with the dreams Pao has had ever since she can remember， and where Emma could be。While this story lacks the usual humor of books in the Riordan imprint， it isn't short on the mythology elements。 I liked the different feel。 I listened to most of this on audiobook and I'm not sure if it is the way the narrator read the characters or the fact that Pao has had to be the adult in her house for years， but she felt much older than 12 to me。 I had to keep reminding myself that she and Dante were tweens and not 16-18。 Not that they had teenage agnst or mature content; they just sounded older than the average tween。 Which is believable given their backgrounds。 It'll make this story have a broader appeal than just middle grade readers。 I absolutely loved the cutest chupacabra in literature and definitely am pulling for him to be a main character in the next book。 The best part of this book was the message about forgiveness and the power/freedom it brings to the one who forgives。 Super important， and excellently integrated。 Recommended for all the fantasy quest/mythology fans out there。Notes on content: I think I noticed 2 minor swears。 No sexual content beyond a peck on the cheek。 （A guy and a girl are trying to figure out if they like each other and how that will work， but it is much more feelings focused than anything else。） Past violence and deaths are mentioned， some fantasy battles on page that could have dire consequences but no one is seriously hurt on page。 。。。more
Moni
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LOVED this one！ It has ghosts。 It has folklore and legends。 It has a smart， sarcastic， real human trying her best to be a hero。 Also， I want a puppy Chupacabra for my very own。
MeganRuth - Alohamora Open a Book
，
"There's no halfway when you fight a villain。" 3。5 stars for Paola Santiago and the River of Tears。 I felt this legend/folktale fantasy story is perfect for fans of Lightning Thief b/c it is action packed， deals with friendship and the awkwardness of middle school， and tells a really cool legend I had never heard of before。 Bonus that Paola is a strong girl who loves science。 #loveThis retelling was even more fun b/c it takes place in Arizona and the Gila River。 Elementary teachers in 4th-7th gr "There's no halfway when you fight a villain。" 3。5 stars for Paola Santiago and the River of Tears。 I felt this legend/folktale fantasy story is perfect for fans of Lightning Thief b/c it is action packed， deals with friendship and the awkwardness of middle school， and tells a really cool legend I had never heard of before。 Bonus that Paola is a strong girl who loves science。 #loveThis retelling was even more fun b/c it takes place in Arizona and the Gila River。 Elementary teachers in 4th-7th grade could have fun reading this one aloud。 Some favorite quotes: "Bigotry wore a lot of different faces; she knew that well。" "Worrying is hard work。" Every parent knows that， ;）"I don't know what to do next， she admitted。" "Admitting she didn't know wasn't just difficult for Paola， it was unprecedented。" "None of the normal rules seem to apply。 It doesn't mean there are rules， we just don't know them yet。" （Rules like physics）"She didn't understand， and she always understood。" "She did what any stupid and brave hero would do。" "There's no halfway when you fight a villain。" 。。。more
Sage （SageShelves）
，
Tehlor Kay Mejia might genuinely be one of my favourite authors， and this book only solidifies that。 I had so much fun reading this， when I wasn't too busy getting punched in the heart。 Paola is such a delightful and unique protagonist， and I can't wait to read more books from her perspective！ Tehlor Kay Mejia might genuinely be one of my favourite authors， and this book only solidifies that。 I had so much fun reading this， when I wasn't too busy getting punched in the heart。 Paola is such a delightful and unique protagonist， and I can't wait to read more books from her perspective！ 。。。more
Amelia
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i have no idea how long this book took me to listen to
Wylaina
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Some folklore， mystery， and fantastical elements。
Megan Farve
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I love learning about mythology from all cultures so I was very excited to explore Latinx stories。 The minute I saw the book contained La Llorona I was sold。Pao is easily likable， especially for those of us with scientific minds， and Bruto the chupacabra immediately won over my heart。 The story was enjoyable， the characters were well developed， and now I can’t wait for another Pao Santiago story！
giorgia。books
，
So far I've love all the Rick Riordan presents book that I've read and it's no surprise I loved this one as well。 Sometimes it's a bit confusing but I loved discovering the story of La Llorona and I absolutely loved Pao as the main character， she's so relatable and funny。 I can't wait to read the next book。 So far I've love all the Rick Riordan presents book that I've read and it's no surprise I loved this one as well。 Sometimes it's a bit confusing but I loved discovering the story of La Llorona and I absolutely loved Pao as the main character， she's so relatable and funny。 I can't wait to read the next book。 。。。more
Chris
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An exciting journey into a land of legends， myths， and nightmares。 Pao must learn to let go of her conviction that logic and science explain everything to confront these monsters on their own terms， and must learn to overcome her angry， rash nature to preserve her relationships along the way。 Engaging and substantial。
Nathan Dehoff
，
Another in the Rick Riordan Presents series， this one focuses on Latin American folklore。 The titular character is a very scientific-minded character who's embarrassed by her mother's superstitious beliefs。 When her friend disappears， she and her friend Dante go to investigate， and find out there's some truth in the old legends after all。 Both La Llorona and Chupacabras play significant roles， and there's a shape-shifting shoe in the mix。 I think the story meandered a bit， but I liked Paola as a Another in the Rick Riordan Presents series， this one focuses on Latin American folklore。 The titular character is a very scientific-minded character who's embarrassed by her mother's superstitious beliefs。 When her friend disappears， she and her friend Dante go to investigate， and find out there's some truth in the old legends after all。 Both La Llorona and Chupacabras play significant roles， and there's a shape-shifting shoe in the mix。 I think the story meandered a bit， but I liked Paola as a protagonist， and the book touched on some serious issues。 I found it interesting that one of La Llorona's kids was named Ondina。 I don't know of any traditional names for these children， but the name has links to a water spirit in European folklore who， in some tales， married a mortal and later killed him through asphyxiation for being unfaithful to her。 The name， invented by Paracelsus， derives from the Latin for "wave。" 。。。more
mugs
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（trigger warnings below the spoiler mark）（view spoiler）[trigger warning for: death/danger， blood， a relationship that was implied to be emotionally manipulative/abusive？ kidnappingworth noting: the characters face discrimination during an interaction with the police， and a boy and his parents are taken away and separatedcontains romance（hide spoiler）] （trigger warnings below the spoiler mark）（view spoiler）[trigger warning for: death/danger， blood， a relationship that was implied to be emotionally manipulative/abusive？ kidnappingworth noting: the characters face discrimination during an interaction with the police， and a boy and his parents are taken away and separatedcontains romance（hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Jordan
，
Isn’t that what everyone wants？ Pao asked herself。 To be loved even though they’re kind of a monster？Rating: Absolutely Loved ItPaola Santiago is a twelve-year-old Latinx girl who is obsessed with the wonders of science。 It is what she has turned to in order to explain away her fears of the supernatural world of myths and folklore that her mother lives in。 Paola and her two best friends， Emma and Dante， have been given only one unbreakable rule: to stay away from the river。 La Llorona is said to Isn’t that what everyone wants？ Pao asked herself。 To be loved even though they’re kind of a monster？Rating: Absolutely Loved ItPaola Santiago is a twelve-year-old Latinx girl who is obsessed with the wonders of science。 It is what she has turned to in order to explain away her fears of the supernatural world of myths and folklore that her mother lives in。 Paola and her two best friends， Emma and Dante， have been given only one unbreakable rule: to stay away from the river。 La Llorona is said to haunt the banks in search of wayward children to drag to their deaths。 But when the banks are the coolest place to hang out during the hot Arizona summer， AND it's the best place for stargazing， they may or may not sneak away to the river。 When Emma doesn't show for one of their meet-ups however， Pao and Dante are catapulted into a supernatural world that Pao spent her whole life explaining away。 Pao must open her mind to the possibility that there might be things out there that science can't explain in order to save her friends and herself。 Honestly， this book was an absolute delight！ I read it in an afternoon and enjoyed every moment of it！What I Liked:- Pao is a fantastic character！ She is incredibly smart and resourceful。 I loved her mind and how fired up she gets about the patriarchy at twelve。 I also loved that she was flawed。 She has a short temper and she can be rather pessimistic about things。 She states: "She wasn’t the kind of girl anyone would hire as a babysitter; she’d never gotten one of those certificates teachers give out to reward helpfulness or a good attitude， and I found this to be so very relatable！ I would have loved to see a heroine like Pao while I was growing up。- The world building in this was rich and filled with Latinx culture and myth， and I loved it。 The characters were interesting and had great depth。 And while I cannot comment on this as someone who experiences the effects of this personally， I felt that the way Mejia handled the discussion of different microaggressions and institutional racism really well， especially for young readers。 - I loved the themes that were highlighted in this story。 It was themes of forgiveness， self-love， and open-mindedness as well as acceptance， loyalty， and love。 The relationship between Pao and her friends was sweet and filled with love。 I enjoyed seeing our prickly heroine navigate the new crush-like feelings she is beginning to have for her best friend， navigate making new friends and determining who and what she was able to trust。 Fantastic！- AND perhaps most importantly， there's an ANIMAL FRIEND！ Something that ALL fantasy should have， and Bruto the chupacabra certainly added another level of emotion to the already fantastic story。What I didn't like:- I honestly have nothing to go here。 I would have loved to see a little more of Pao's relationship with her mother in the aftermath of their adventures， but I loved what we did see， and I am looking forward to seeing how it is affected in the future book（s）， so it's not really a complaint。 - Also I have unanswered questions and theories about Pao and La Llarona （view spoiler）[Who was her second son！？ WAS IT PAO'S DAD！？ WHY DID HE SEND HER THE KEY！？ Will we see him again！？ （hide spoiler）] but because there is more to this series， it's not so much something that I didn't like as something that I'm looking forward to =]Fantastic start to a series that I'm excited to continue to follow！ I can't wait to see what Pao is up to in book 2！ 。。。more
Bookworm
，
I really enjoyed this book。 I loved how it revolved around the fact that mothers would do anything and I mean anything to tend to children in harm。
Tova
，
This is a fabulous book。 Pao is wonderful and I love her， imo dante is pretty unnecessary but i understand why hes included in the story ig。 Yeah， loved it
Ashley Clark
，
I think that this is the best mythology-based middle grade book that I've read since Percy Jackson。 I thoroughly enjoyed Paola as a character， and I'm discovering that I really like Mexican folklore。 I look forward to the next story featuring Paola and her friends。 I think that this is the best mythology-based middle grade book that I've read since Percy Jackson。 I thoroughly enjoyed Paola as a character， and I'm discovering that I really like Mexican folklore。 I look forward to the next story featuring Paola and her friends。 。。。more
Kathi Hoyt
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Not my favorite Rick Riordan presents。。。 book。 The main character was so "science" oriented that it became annoying and I felt it started to interfere with the story。 The story pace was slow and students will struggle to become engaged in the story。 Not my favorite Rick Riordan presents。。。 book。 The main character was so "science" oriented that it became annoying and I felt it started to interfere with the story。 The story pace was slow and students will struggle to become engaged in the story。 。。。more
Goodmood Masala
，