Thanks so much to all of you who joined us at book group last night. I really enjoyed discussing Gringolandia, as was made so clear through our conversation, it’s an important book for our classrooms, touching on so many relevant themes. And we’re not done with the conversation yet–we’ll be talking about the book throughout the month. We’re very excited to be sharing an interview with the author, Lyn Miller-Lachmann, tomorrow!! Be sure to check it out and add any of your own questions in the comments. If you couldn’t make it last night, feel free to share your thoughts about the book here on the blog. If you missed it earlier, we’ve posted our own review here.
Below you’ll find the announcement for next month’s book.
Join us September 9th at Bookworks from 5:00-7:00 pm to discuss our next book. We 
are reading Summer of the Mariposas (Grades 5 and up) by Guadalupe Garcia McCall. Under the Mesquite was a favorite of our book group last year, so I’m excited to hear what everyone thinks about McCall’s latest book!
Here’s a sneak peek into the book: (from Goodreads)
When Odilia and her four sisters find a dead body in the swimming hole, they embark on a hero’s journey to return the dead man to his family in Mexico. But returning home to Texas turns into an odyssey that would rival Homer’s original tale.
With the supernatural aid of ghostly La Llorona via a magical earring, Odilia and her little sisters travel a road of tribulation to their long-lost grandmother’s house. Along the way, they must outsmart a witch and her Evil Trinity: a wily warlock, a coven of vicious half-human barn owls, and a bloodthirsty livestock-hunting chupacabras. Can these fantastic trials prepare Odilia and her sisters for what happens when they face their final test, returning home to the real world, where goddesses and ghosts can no longer help them?
Summer of the Mariposas is not just a magical Mexican American retelling of The Odyssey, it is a celebration of sisterhood and maternal love.
Be sure to get entered in our drawing for a copy of the book!! All you have to do is comment on any blog post by September 1st!
We’ll also be raffling off a copy of October’s featured book, The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano (ages 12 and up). Join us that evening to be entered!
We hope to see you on September 9th!
Vamos a Leer 
“A magical Mexican American retelling of The Odyssey” sounds very interesting! I don’t read much middle grade books, but I believe that’s an oversight, as many of these novels even have something to offer adults (we all could learn something by revisiting childhood every now and then!). I’ll probably read more middle grade books when my daughters reach that reading level. Of course, by then, they probably won’t want any overlap between their reading material and mine!
I’ve found myself reading more and more middle grade and young adult books lately. I started because of our blog, but then realized that there were some great books that I was completely missing out on. Plus, I could finish them a lot faster than many of the adult novels I was reading! Your girls may surprise you! I was always (happily) amazed when my parents wanted to read the same things I was reading–it led to some great conversations that I still remember today.