The Pachon family is going through hard times: Fernando (the father) just lost his millionaire juice company and is forced to give up the fancy and comfortable lifestyle that he and his family used to have. Rodolfo (his oldest son) thinks he attracts bad luck and always feels like things couldn’t get any worse. Catarina (the youngest) is terrified that she will have to leave school and live in a modest place. Meanwhile, Lucía (the mom) must get back to teaching at her kids’ new school. During this radical change they’ll meet friends, but also people who will make the process even harder. The Pachon family will try to get out of the rabbit hole they fell through in spite of the adversity surrounding them. Themes: – Change: of social status, school, way of life, friends. – Failure: the principal character’s dad is an entrepreneur who goes bankrupt. – Different points of view: the novel is written in free indirect speech, which allows the reader to understand various opinions. – Tolerance and adversity: the author talks about current subjects such as racism, intolerance, bullying and mistreating among adults, alcoholism, lack of opportunities, and indoctrination at schools against free-thinking. – Economy and family: the family faces hardship due to lack of money. – Violence in the country: represented by the referral to the 43 dead students in Iguala in 2014 and the uncle’s kidnapping.
About the Author: Norma Muñoz Ledo
Norma grew up in a family that cherished books, stories and traditions. She studied Educational Science in Mexico City and later an MA in Children's Literature at Warwick University. Her fictional worlds emanate from curiosity, observation and awe, as well as from research on a variety of subjects that interest her. She is always willing to let her stories become life experiences. Some of her books, like “Matemágicas”, “Supernaturalia” and “Bestiario de seres fantásticos mexicanos” arise from her eagerness to give back strength and symbolic presence to Mexican Tradition and Mythology. She has written over twenty books for children and young adults, such as: “Polvo de estrellas”, “El Nuevo restaurante de Pierre Quintonil”and “Mamá Tlacuache”. Norma loves to cook but she doesn’t have the time to make all the dishes from the cookbooks she owns. She also enjoys watching movies, sitting beside a bonfire, talking to her friends and to wise people who have a wider understanding of the world. She likes to walk in the woods, to eat ice-cream and to plant vegetables. She loves to read and never reads one book at a time. Besides being a fiction writer, she has been a script writer for children’s public television programs.
"Situations [in the book] such as alcoholism [...]; the lack of consideration toward a woman who lives alone and to whom due maintenance payments are constantly demanded; a young character's greed; the solidarity of the children with their parents to contribute with house chores; one character's indifference toward an indigenous girl they accidentally injured [...] make of this book an eye-opener to urban Mexican reality." - José Domínguez, Diario de Xalapa, August 20th, 2018. “[A book] full of humor. Norma Muñoz Ledo leaps from the subtle world of Mexican fantastic creatures to the real world and, with a fresh outlook, recreates the reality of a modern family with a lot to face and many adventures ahead. The publishers succeed in their editorial job by pairing the text with the talent and wit of the Ecuadorian–Chilean illustrator Alberto Montt, who gives us a succulent and savory banquet of images. The result is a book that allures, amuses, and moves.” - Nacho Casas, writer and journalist, on Facebook, July 21st, 2018.
