Author: Zoraida Córdova

Page Count: 368

Published: June 28, 2022

ISBN: 9781338712711

“Monsters, mayhem, and a little family magic will have readers rooting for Valentina!” -- Kwame Mbalia, New York Times bestselling author

It takes a special person to end up in detention on the last day of school.

It takes a REALLY special person to accidentally burn down the school yard while chasing a fire-breathing chipmunk.

But nothing about Valentina Salazar has ever been “normal.” The Salazars are protectors, tasked with rescuing the magical creatures who sometimes wander into our world, from grumpy unicorns to chupacabras . . . to the occasional fire-breathing chipmunk.

When Val’s father is killed during a rescue mission gone wrong, her mother decides it’s time to retire from their life on the road. She moves the family to a boring little town in upstate New York and enrolls Val and her siblings in real school for the first time.

But Val is a protector at heart and she can’t give up her calling. So when a mythical egg surfaces in a viral video, Val convinces her reluctant siblings to help her find the egg before it hatches and wreaks havoc. But she has some competition: the dreaded monster hunters who’ll stop at nothing to destroy the creature . . . and the Salazar family.

"With a gutsy, lionhearted protagonist, an inventive cryptid menagerie, and a sensitive portrayal of grief’s effect on individuals and familial dynamics as seen through young eyes, Córdova’s narrative comes aglow as it unfolds, radiating warmth, humor, and a love of the fantasy genre on each and every page." --Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"From the author who created the Brooklyn Brujas trilogy, Córdova brings a new fantastical adventure to younger readers. Córdova crafts an adventure story to explain a standard lesson that monsters (like humans) are not all bad and can be misunderstood. A wonderful read that shows people should never underestimate the power of family—or their youngest siblings!" --Booklist, Starred Review 
 

"Middle-grade fantasy at its finest, led by a protagonist who has as much spirit and fire as the monsters she’s sworn to protect.” -- Rena Barron, author of Maya and the Rising Dark

“An action-packed, un-put-down-able, adventure filled with fun, family, and fabulous magical creatures! You’re in for a real treat!” -- Sarah Beth Durst, award-winning author of Spark

“A wondrous journey, full of friendship, family, and self-discovery. It has everything I look for in a book—heart, humor, and an innovative magic system.” -- Alex Aster, award-winning author of the Emblem Island series