SUMMER OF THE MARIPOSAS, by Guadalupe Garcia McCall

The story: Odilia and her four sisters are swimming in the Rio Grande when they bump into...a corpse. They know they need to return the man's body to his family, but he comes from across the border in Mexico. How will the girls ever get across? It's going to take more than just "borrowing" a car and driving south--it's going to take some serious magic.

June Cleaver’s ratings: Language G; Nudity G; Sexual Content G; Violence PG-13; Substance Abuse PG; Magic & the Occult PG-13; GLBT Content G; Adult Themes (abandonment & death) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: this is a charming but rather strange mash-up of contemporary teen fiction and fantasy. Figures from Mexican folklore/fantasy feature prominently here, as both La Llorona and the Aztec goddess Tonantzin come to the girls' aid on a regular basis. An interesting glimpse into a strangely foreign culture, but those uneasy with scary occult characters like the warlock, lechuzas (kind of a vicious, steel-clawed vulture-owl)and chupacabras may want to be careful.