The Immortal Boy

by Francisco Montana Ibanez, David Bowles (Translator)

Overview

Two intertwining stories of Bogotá.

One, a family of five children, left to live on their own.

The other, a girl in an orphanage who will do anything to befriend the mysterious Immortal Boy.

How they weave together will never leave you.

Presented in English and Spanish.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781646140442
Publisher:	Levine Querido
Publication date:	03/23/2021
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.65(w) x 8.25(h) x 1.20(d)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Francisco Montaña Ibáñez is an award-winning author for children and a professor at the National University of Colombia (IIE). The Immortal Boy is his first book translated into English.

David Bowles is a Mexican American author and translator from South Texas. Among his multiple award-winning books are Feathered Serpent, Dark Heart of Sky: Myths of Mexico, and They Call Me Güero; he is also the translator of The Sea-Ringed World: Sacred Stories of the Americas. In 2017, David was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters.

Editorial Reviews

01/11/2021

Two stories told in parallel converge tragically in this poignant dual-language YA novel set around Bogotá, Colombia. After a seemingly fearless boy stops a group of kids from tormenting her at an orphanage, Nina decides “to catch him and make him my friend.” There’s just one problem: the mysterious “Immortal Boy,” whom “bullets can’t kill,” prefers to avoid others’ company. Elsewhere in Bogotá, five siblings live in a single room, fighting to keep themselves fed and safe until their father’s return. But when one of them, 13-year-old Hector, is accused of stealing and loses his job, he seeks help from an untrustworthy source, with dire consequences. The novel, told in both first and third person, presents Montaña Ibáñez’s original Spanish text alongside Bowles’s adept English translation. While depictions of extreme poverty and implied gun violence may prove triggering for some readers, the stark beauty of Montaña Ibáñez’s narrative will give those who pick it up much to contemplate. Ages 12–up. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Harshly authentic ...haunting ...heartbreaking.” -Shelf-Awareness,


“Intense, surreal, and mysterious.” -Kirkus,


[STAR] “An unforgettable and tragic story, with many entry points for deep discussions.” -School Library Journal (starred),


“The stark beauty of Montaña Ibáñez’s narrative will give those who pick it up much to contemplate.” -Publishers Weekly,


“Unforgettable...Ibáñez’s work will leave readers speechless.” -Booklist,

From the Publisher

★ 04/01/2021

Gr 9 Up—Ibáñez carefully unravels a memorable parallel narrative in this dual-language novella. Set in Bogotá, Colombia, five siblings between the ages of five and 13, abandoned by their father, share a one-bedroom living space and struggle to feed themselves. Across the city, Nina has recently arrived at an orphanage following her parents' political imprisonment. There, she becomes fascinated by a mysterious child known as the "Immortal Boy," who chases away bullies and speaks to no one. Ibáñez slowly peels back layers to reveal their connection, and dots the story with various motifs and haunting imagery, creating a surreal tone but grounded in the stark reality of the characters. Although the Colombian setting is not fully elucidated, the underlying issues that affect the children speak to large social issues faced by the South American nation, most strikingly captured in the adults and institutions who fail at meaningful intervention. This Spanish and English edition is presented in flipbook style and translated by the award-winning Bowles. VERDICT An unforgettable and tragic story, with many entry points for deep discussions.—Jessica Agudelo, New York P.L.

School Library Journal

2021-01-12
Two sets of young people living in dire circumstances are trying their best to survive in Colombia.

Thirteen-year-old Hector and his siblings, Maria, Robert, David, and Manuela, are living in Bogotá on the brink of starvation since their father left and their mother died. As the oldest, Hector assumes the responsibility of finding work to feed his siblings. Determined to stay true to their father’s wish that they stay together, they refuse to seek help from social services out of fear of separation. In a parallel story, Nina, the daughter of political prisoners, is a new arrival at an orphanage. As she awaits her mother’s release, she is fixated on befriending the Immortal Boy, a loner who, rumor has it, protects bullied children. Told through chapters that switch between third-person narration focusing on Hector’s family and Nina’s first-person voice, the stories initially do not seem to intersect. Their eventual connection is suspenseful, unexpected, and tragic, underscoring the visceral loneliness that permeates both stories. Fans of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs may appreciate the eerie tone. This work could serve as a springboard for discussions about poverty and the difficult choices one must make in desperate situations. This English-language debut by award-winning Colombian author Montaña Ibáñez appears in a bilingual edition, presented flip-book style in both English and Spanish.

Intense, surreal, and mysterious. (Fiction. 13-adult)

Kirkus Reviews