Secrets of the Casa Rosada is a riveting, mysterious story of a teen who is dragged kicking and screaming into a Hispanic heritage she knew nothing about.
Martha and her single mother have had a hard life picking up an moving often, so when her mother tells her they are going to visit her grandmother, she assumes they have been evicted again. But a grandmother? Sixteen-year-old Martha knows nothing about her mother’s family. And she's never lived anywhere in the South. She is totally overwhelmed when they arrive in Laredo, Texas. For one thing, it is unbelievably hot all the time. But worse than that, her grandmother doesn’t speak English, and Martha doesn’t know any Spanish. She is stunned when her mother starts communicating in fluent Spanish. This is not the mother that she has known. And while she is totally confused by her surroundings, Martha’s mother suddenly says goodbye and leaves her with her grandmother.
Things move very quickly and while Martha is still disoriented, and hating her grandmother, she is enrolled in school, attending church, and learning about her extensive extended family. The more she learns, the more she realizes that there are many secrets that her new family is keeping from her. She is also learning that her grandmother is a highly respected curandera--a healer. Her grandmother drags her around to her appointments, and Martha is confused about what exactly her grandmother does. Is it magic?
Complicating her life is the fact that she has a mortal enemy at school, and she has no idea why she is hated. This girl thinks Martha's grandmother is training Martha to be a curandera. And this girl, for some reason, thinks she should be the one being trained. Another mystery...
All Martha cares about is finding out about her mother -- why she left and what secrets Laredo holds. Coming from my white perspective, the Hispanic experience seems authentic, but how would I know? Martha’s quest to find out her mother’s secrets is what keeps the anticipation building. Martha is sympathetic and easy to root for. The ending is quite dramatic--even life-threatening--and includes a spiritual/supernatural element. I would recommend this one to teens who enjoy family mysteries that will keep you guessing. It is a quick and captivating story.
Copy obtained from School Library Connection Magazine
160 pages
Rating: 4.5/5
This sounds really good! I'm glad you let us know about the supernatural ending because magical realism isn't my thing, but if I know it's coming, I'll be prepared. :-)
ReplyDeleteOooh, this one sounds really good. I'd never heard of it before, but now I definitely want to read it. Thanks for the great review!
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