cover image An Encantadora’s Guide to Monstros and Magic

An Encantadora’s Guide to Monstros and Magic

Sarah J. Mendonca. Quill Tree, $19.99 (384p) ISBN 978-1-33501-288-3

Though she aspires to become a keeper, a magical locksmith, tween Rosa Coelho instead practices her keeper skills in secret and earns money for her family by capturing the magical beasts terrorizing her town. Then the corrupt Ministério dos Monstros informs the Coelhos that they have two weeks to pay a seemingly insurmountable debt or lose their magic Encantadora shop. After Rosa successfully completes a keeper task for a strange girl, she receives a mysterious invitation to join the Tea Leaves, an infamous group of thieves, as their keeper. Despite realizing that the Tea Leaves mistake her for a professional keeper, Rosa saddles up with the thieves, hoping she’ll be able to save enough money from heists to pay off her family’s debt and elevate them to a new economic status. But as her secret criminal dealings drive a wedge between Rosa and her family, fear of being discovered as a false keeper mount. Debut author Mendonca’s characters are a standout feature of the novel; Rosa’s difficultly balancing personal desires and familial loyalties alongside unflinching depictions of harsh financial realities resonates throughout this unique, complex fantasy adventure whose world- building draws inspiration from Portuguese origins. An endnote concludes. Ages 8–12. (July)