Rick Riordan Presents: Paola Santiago and the Forest of Nightmares-A Paola Santiago Novel Book 2 - by Tehlor Kay Mejia (Hardcover)

About the Book

Months after confronting the legendary La Llorona, Paola starts dreaming again, this time about fantasmas that are stalking her and someone who might be even more dangerous--her estranged father.

Book Synopsis

Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents the sequel to Tehlor Kay Mejia's critically acclaimed own-voices novel about science-obsessed Paola Santiago.

"Paola is a brilliant, furious girl who often trusts her brain but trips over her heart."--Sarah Gailey, Hugo and Locus award-winning author of River of Teeth

Six months after Paola Santiago confronted the legendary La Llorona, life is nothing like she'd expected it to be. She is barely speaking to her best friends, Dante and Emma, and what's worse, her mom has a totally annoying boyfriend. Even with her chupacabra puppy, Bruto, around, Pao can't escape the feeling that she's all alone in the world.

Pao has no one to tell that she's having nightmares again, this time set in a terrifying forest. Even more troubling? At their center is her estranged father, an enigma of a man she barely remembers. And when Dante's abuela falls mysteriously ill, it seems that the dad Pao never knew just might be the key to healing the eccentric old woman.

Pao's search for her father will send her far from home, where she will encounter new monsters and ghosts, a devastating betrayal, and finally, the forest of her nightmares. Will the truths her father has been hiding save the people Pao loves, or destroy them?

Once again Tehlor Kay Mejia draws on her Mexican heritage to tell a wild and wondrous story that combines creatures from folklore with modern-day challenges. Endorsed by Rick Riordan, author of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, soon to be a series on Disney+.

Complete your middle grade collection with these best-selling fan favorites:

• Rick Riordan Presents Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi
• Rick Riordan Presents Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia
• Rick Riordan Presents Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez
• The Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan
• The Trials of Apollo series by Rick Riordan

Review Quotes

PRAISE FOR PAOLA SANTIAGO AND THE RIVER OF TEARS

"I am really envious of you, reading this book for the first time."
--Rick Riordan, New York Times #1 best-selling author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series

"Paola Santiago and the River of Tears is just plain marvelous. Paola is a brilliant, furious girl who often trusts her brain but trips over her heart. This book is a thrilling adventure from start to finish, with a bright core of emotional honesty anchoring it to reality."
--Sarah Gailey, Hugo and Locus Award-winning author of River of Teeth

"A clever, twisty, imaginative take on the ever-spooky folktale La Llorona. Filled with love and fear and courage. Readers will delight!"
--J.C. Cervantes, New York Times best-selling author of The Storm Runner

"Mejia pulls no punches in showing us the monsters--whether fantastic or all too real--that children who live on the border between two cultures face every day."
--Carlos Hernandez, award-winning author of Sal and Gabi Fix the Universe

" Has the perfect blend of action, heart, and honesty in showing a painful world that most readers will already recognize--and proving the perfect amount of hope that they will survive and thrive. Tehlor Kay Mejia's writing is pure magic."
--Karen Callender, Stonewall Book Award-winning author of Hurricane Child

"Paola Santiago is a whip-smart Latina who dares to explore the shadows between folklore and middle-school friendship."
--Nina Moreno, author of Don't Date Rosa Santos

★ "This fast-paced journey into Latinx folklore, with its clever protagonist, is sure to keep readers turning pages into the night."
--Booklist (starred review)

★"A new hero's fantastic and fantastical debut--her next appearance can't come soon enough."
--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

★ "A warm, thrilling Mexican American ­adventure. An essential purchase."
--School Library Journal (starred review)

★ "Mejia draws upon her Latinx heritage to conjure creatures from folklore, such as chupacabras, La Llorona, and disembodied hands, arming Paola and her allies with fantastical weapons and layering in realistic plot points."
--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

PRAISE FOR PAOLA SANTIAGO AND THE FOREST OF NIGHTMARES

"Fast-paced and action-packed, this is a must-read for fans of book one."
--Booklist

PRAISE FOR PAOLA SANTIAGO AND THE SANCTUARY OF SHADOWS

"A brave adventure with meaningful depth."
--Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Tehlor Kay Mejia is an Oregon native in love with the alpine meadows and evergreen forests of their home state, where they live with their daughter. When Tehlor's not writing, you can find them plucking the guitar, stealing rosemary sprigs from overgrown gardens, or trying to make the perfect vegan tamale. Tehlor is the author of Paola Santiago and the River of Tears and the YA fantasy novels We Set the Dark on Fire and We Unleash the Merciless Storm. Tehlor's Instagram handle is @tehlorkay.