Best Children's Books of the Year, Bank Street College of Education Best Books of the Year, School Library Journal Amelia Bloomer Project -Feminist Task Force, American Library Association (ALA) Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy Finalist, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of AmericaIn this young adult retelling of The Odyssey, Odilia and her four sisters journey to Mexico to return a dead man to his family and encounter magical creatures along the way. 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.
Unrealistic
In my opinion, Guadalupe García McCall's attempt to retell the Odyssey for modern audiences fell short. While aiming to create a relatable narrative for women while retaining the essence of the Odyssey's plot, I believe the choice of having the girls start their journey by finding a dead body was questionable. Perhaps a more reasonable reason, such as getting stranded on a family trip, could have better paralleled Homer's island stranding. Instead, the story has the girls finding a dead body, and rather than reporting it, they decide to dress it up like a doll. Furthermore, the unrealistic decision of sisters, aged 15 and under, to cross the Texas-Mexico border to return the body adds to the story's implausibility. The story would have been more plausible if it had taken place 500 years ago when rules and regulations were not yet in place. In conclusion, while I appreciate the author's attempt to modernize the Odyssey, I believe that a more realistic and historically accurate approach would have made the story more relatable and compelling.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com