Me, Frida, and the Secret of the Peacock Ring (Scholastic Gold)

by Angela Cervantes

Overview

A new novel from Angela Cervantes that uses the story of Frida Kahlo to help readers discover the true power of heritage, art, and family.

A room locked for fifty years.A valuable peacock ring.A mysterious brother-sister duo.Paloma Marquez is traveling to Mexico City, birthplace of her deceased father, for the very first time. She's hoping that spending time in Mexico will help her unlock memories of the too-brief time they spent together. While in Mexico, Paloma meets Lizzie and Gael, who present her with an irresistible challenge: The siblings want her to help them find a valuable ring that once belonged to beloved Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Finding the ring means a big reward -- and the thanks of all Mexico. What better way to honor her father than returning a priceless piece of jewelry that once belonged to his favorite artist! But the brother and sister have a secret. Do they really want to return the ring, or are they after something else entirely?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338159332
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	03/27/2018
Sold by:	Scholastic, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	952,122
Lexile:	710L (what's this?)
File size:	15 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Angela Cervantes is a poet, storyteller, and animal lover. Her poetry and short stories have appeared in various publications, and she has written the novels Gaby, Lost and Found and Allie, First at Last. When Angela is not writing, she enjoys hanging out with her husband in Kansas and eating fish tacos every chance she gets. Keep up with Angela at angelacervantes.com.

Editorial Reviews

"A perfect introduction to the mystery genre, with Cervantes deftly fitting pieces of the puzzle together to move the story along without divulging too much." — Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books"A well-paced mystery plot and a rich exploration of the art of Frida Kahlo." —School Library Journal"A fun read for any sleuths-in-training." — Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

12/01/2017
Gr 4–6—Paloma Marquez isn't too excited about her first trip to Mexico. Her mom has a fellowship and has dragged Paloma along to introduce her to her father's heritage. Paloma is annoyed that she has to study Spanish in summer school instead of heading to the beach with her friends. Despite her low expectations, she quickly makes some intriguing friends and gets involved in a mystery allowing her to emulate her favorite protagonist, Lulu Pennywhistle. Although the secondary characters are somewhat underdeveloped, the plot moves along at a good pace and young mystery fans will want to keep turning pages. The mystery revolves around Frida Kahlo, so readers learn quite a bit about Mexican art and culture. VERDICT A well-paced mystery plot and a rich exploration of the art of Frida Kahlo make this a good purchase for most middle grade collections.—Gesse Stark-Smith, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR

School Library Journal

2017-12-03
Join Paloma Marquez as she solves the mystery of Frida Kahlo's missing peacock ring.Biracial Paloma Marquez is a 12-year-old half-Mexican, half-white girl from Kansas City, Kansas. Paloma possesses almost no memories of her deceased father but hopes to reconnect with her Mexican heritage during her first trip to his homeland. While staying in the Coyoacán neighborhood of Mexico City, Paloma explores Casa Azul, artist Frida Kahlo's childhood home-turned-museum, and instantly becomes a fan of Frida's artwork. Paloma is supposed to take Spanish classes and art history classes, but there's a mystery unfolding in Casa Azul. Kahlo's peacock ring is missing, and it is imperative that Paloma and her new friends, local siblings Gael and Lizzie, find it before it is too late. But Gael and Lizzie, who pose as Paloma's Spanish tutors from the university, are not who they seem….Paloma is a fan of fictional teen supersleuth Lulu Pennywhistle, who inspires her to try to solve the mystery of the missing peacock ring. The mystery, while engaging, is not particularly intricate. Readers will have little trouble solving it before Paloma and her friends do, making it more an introduction to the genre than one for readers accustomed to it. Spanish is used throughout the text with translations following almost immediately. A fun read for any sleuths-in-training. (author's note) (Mystery. 8-12)

Kirkus Review