The turn of a card could change your destiny.
The Phantom Tollbooth meets Coco in this captivating magical realist adventure based on the Lotería card game.
A perilous game of chance.
A journey among myths and monsters.
A girl whose fate hangs in the balance.
It is the hottest hour of the hottest day in Oaxaca City when Life and Death walk into town, ready to begin a new game of la Lotería .
But first, they need a pawn, a child whose fate will be determined by the winner of the game: a long and prosperous life or an untimely death.
Fate finds this child in a robin-egg blue house, tucked beneath a massive jacaranda tree.
And so, the game begins.
Every card reveals a new twist in Clara's fate: a tree, a scorpion, a fateful arrow, a mermaid, a deer, a treacherous rose.
But Clara knows none of this.
All she knows is that her cousin Esteban has vanished, and she'll do whatever it takes to save him, traveling to the mythical Kingdom of Las Pozas in her search.
And although it seems her fate was sealed as soon as the cards were dealt, Clara just might have what it takes to shatter the game and choose a new path.
Author Karla Arenas Valenti weaves an adventure steeped in magic and mythology, exploring the notion of free will in a world where fate holds all the cards About author(s): Karla Arenas Valenti writes stories for and about kids, taking readers on journeys steeped in magical realism and philosophical questions.
Her storytelling is heavily influenced by her Mexican heritage and layered with ideas and concepts she's picked up in her many travels around the world.
She currently resides in the Chicagoland area with her husband and three kids, two cats, and hundreds of books.
Karla writes picture books (she is the creator of the My Super Science Heroes series).
Loteria is her debut middle-grade novel.
Dana Sanmar is a Colombian illustrator and graphic designer currently established in Atlanta, USA.
Her love for illustration started from a early age due to her parents' love for books.
And her early exposure to arts and crafts by her mother nourished her love for creating things by hand, while her dad showed her how to work with different materials and the importance of being resourceful.
Following these influences, she got a B.
A in Graphic Design in her home country.
She recently graduated from her M.
A in Illustration at the Savannah College of Art and Design and currently works a a freelance Illustrator.
| Game | A long and prosperous life or an untimely death |
|---|---|
| Clara's fate | A tree a scorpion a fateful arrow a mermaid a deer a treacherous rose |
| About author(s) | Karla |
Alfred A. Knopf Books For Young Readers Lotería, hardcover/karla arenas valenti
