Loteria

Loteria
Karla Arenas Valenti
Knofp, 2021
305 pages

Grades 4-6

Fantasy/Magical Realism

Eleven-year-old Clara unknowingly gets selected as a pawn in the yearly Dia de los Muertos loteria game played by the dapper fellow, Life, and his beautiful companion, Death. Clara's fate will depend on the outcome of their game and alternating chapters relate Clara's experience and their own. Strange events start to happen as Clara's drawings mysteriously come to life. After a family tragedy, Clara's beloved cousin, Esteban disappears, and Clara must follow him to the mythical kingdom of Las Pozas. El Diablo has tricked Esteban into following him to be traded to the king for as yet unknown purposes. Clara reaches the enchanted land, but cannot enter the castle. She must barter with and outsmart talking animals and creatures from legend in order to make her way in. Meanwhile, the loteria game continues, and with it, Clara's fate. Who will win and what will that mean for Clara? For what purpose does the king collect children? And, most of all, will Clara save Esteban in time? These questions and others will be answered as life and death battle it out in this all-important round of loteria.

Debut middle-grade author, Valenti, weaves a tale infused with Mexican culture and world philosophy. She explores the concept of fate verse free choice and, as Life and Death play the game to determine Clara's future, she is battling to control her own destiny. They are both right, as Clara's fate is decided by the game, but she provides a solution to twist the out come in a way in which she controls. The results both surprised and saddened me. The ending is not happy, which in itself is a twist for a middle grade book, yet all of the ends are sewn up neatly. The story goes pretty dark, from a king who collects children for nefarious purposes to El Diablo luring away Esteban, and contains several deaths, making this selection not for the faint of heart. The philosophy gets a bit heavy handed at times and bogs down the plot a bit. All of that said, it beautifully weaves Mexican cultural into a magical adventure. I have always been fascinated by the game Loteria, having played it as a child, and love how this bingo-esque game mirrors the plot. Extensive back matter provides info about some of the elements, places, and inspirations of the book, as well as including a discussion guide. This is a very different book that will appeal to kids who like fiction that makes them think, with a little bit of magic and a lot of creepiness thrown in for good measure.