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A review by bookwhimsy2
Mari and the Curse of El Cocodrilo by Adrianna Cuevas
4.0
This is such a cute and much-needed story. Mari, whose full name is Maricela, is being harassed by a classmate and next-door neighbor who keeps shaming her for being Cuban-American. The microaggressions have affected Mari so much that when her family is performing their New Year ritual of burning effigies to eliminate bad luck, Mari holds back and never burns her.
What follows is El Cocodrilo hanging her with bad luck to the point where it affects her school and her friendships. In order to combat El Cocodrilo, Mari needs to come to terms with her cultural identity and her family history. While at the same time fix the tension within her friend group.
At first, I was a bit put off by Mari feeling embarrassed of her cultural traditions, but I also realized that when we are kids, it is so easy for people to make us feel ashamed. Part of maturing means learning how to deal with those who will try to shame us, and that is part of the journey that Mari is on. Ultimately, it is a wonderful story about love, family, and friendship.
Content Warnings: racism, curses, discussions of death, off-the-page family death
I received a free advance reader's copy via NetGalley.
What follows is El Cocodrilo hanging her with bad luck to the point where it affects her school and her friendships. In order to combat El Cocodrilo, Mari needs to come to terms with her cultural identity and her family history. While at the same time fix the tension within her friend group.
At first, I was a bit put off by Mari feeling embarrassed of her cultural traditions, but I also realized that when we are kids, it is so easy for people to make us feel ashamed. Part of maturing means learning how to deal with those who will try to shame us, and that is part of the journey that Mari is on. Ultimately, it is a wonderful story about love, family, and friendship.
Content Warnings: racism, curses, discussions of death, off-the-page family death
I received a free advance reader's copy via NetGalley.