Rick Riordan Presents: Paola Santiago and the Sanctuary of Shadows-A Paola Santiago Novel Book 3 - by Tehlor Kay Mejia (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Thirteen-year-old Paola Santiago must return to the void to rescue her best friend Dante and face her biggest foe yet: El Cucuy, the lord of nightmares"--

Book Synopsis

Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents Tehlor Kay Mejia's third chilling ghost story based on Mexican folklore.

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

Paola Santiago has recently returned from Oregon, where she defeated the Hitchhiker ghost and saved her father from the vengeful spirit that was possessing him. The poor girl deserves a rest! But first she has to rescue Dante from the void, where he's been imprisoned by some unknown force. Even though Dante has turned against Pao, she can't just leave him there--they've been friends for too long.

Paola's prophetic dreams seem to have dried up, so she has to find other ways to locate a new rift where she can enter the void. Signs point to Texas--but how is she going to get there from Arizona? It just so happens that Emma's new group of politically active friends, the Rainbow Rogues, are planning a field trip to San Antonio. It's the perfect ruse for Paola, if she can stand being with the judgmental girls for that many days. . . .

Relying on her wits, training from the Ninos de la Luz, and the emotional support of her best friend Emma, Pao makes it into the void. Once there she must face down not just one but two enemies: El Cucuy, the bogeyman . . . and someone even scarier who looks a lot like Pao herself.

Tehlor Kay Mejia's third exciting journey into Mexican folklore has our lovable, intrepid protagonist making discoveries both wondrous and fearsome. Presented by Rick Riordan, author of Percy Jackson, soon to be a series on Disney+.

Complete your middle grade fantasy collection with:

• Rick Riordan Presents: Paola Santiago and the River of Tears by Tehlor Kay Mejia
• Rick Riordan Presents: Paola Santiago and the Forest of Nightmares by Tehlor Kay Mejia
• Rick Riordan Presents: The Last Fallen Star by Graci Kim
• Rick Riordan Presents: City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda
• Rick Riordan Presents: Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

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. Tehlor is the author of three middle grade titles about Paola Santiago: Paola Santiago and the River of Tears, Paola Santiago and the Forest of Nightmares, and Paola Santiago and the Sanctuary of Shadows. Their short fiction appears in the All Out and Toil & Trouble anthologies from Harlequin Teen and The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities from Rick Riordan Presents. Tehlor has also written two highly acclaimed YA novels, We Set the Dark on Fire and We Unleash the Merciless Storm. When they're not writing, you can find them plucking at the guitar, stealing rosemary sprigs from overgrown gardens, or trying to make the perfect vegan tamale. Follow Tehlor on Instagram @tehlorkay.