What Fell from the Sky - by Adrianna Cuevas

Book Synopsis

From Pura Belpré Honoree and Edgar Award Winner Adrianna Cuevas comes an out-of-this-world middle grade adventure, based on true historical events, perfect for fans of The Goonies and Stranger Things.

All Pineda Matlage wants is to get through the school year and maybe pull an epic prank or two with his friends Junior, Ernesto, and Patsy. But class is disrupted when a slew of American soldiers descends upon their rural Texan town of Soledad. They'll be carrying out a training exercise and taking over everything, from Pineda's school to the local government.

But Pineda knows why they're really here. For days he's hidden the strange creature who fell from the sky in his parents' barn. He promised her he'd find her family and help them return home. But with soldiers now on every street corner and armed checkpoints across every road, reuniting his new friend with her missing parents seems an impossible task. Especially when they realize that the army's presence is really a coverup for capturing his alien friends--being observed in a laboratory by the US government for reasons of their own.

Enlisting the help of his friends, a Black soldier adjusting to a newly integrated army, and townspeople tired of the military's destructive presence, Pineda and all of Soledad will embark on an adventure none of them could have ever expected.

Review Quotes

Praise for What Fell From the Sky:

"Historical realism blends with thrilling sci-fi to deliver a story that is as entertaining as it is thought-provoking." --School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW

"Via alternating first-person POVs...Cuevas (The No-Brainer's Guide to Decomposition) clearly juxtaposes real-life happenings with the protagonist's science fiction adventures." --Publishers Weekly

"Tackling serious topics, this moving novel shows how lack of respect for differences can end in disaster, and that viewing them with an open heart and mine can make us all stronger." --The New York Times

"A story of friendship, identity, and courage showing that even one voice can spark resistance." --Kirkus

"[...] readers looking for a less creepy, far funnier version of Stranger Things will find it with Pineda and Luisa." --BCCB

"In a world where we're constantly getting told that it's us vs. them, Cuevas shakes up true history by getting us all to root for the chickens, aliens, and pie-baking ladies." --Andrea Beatriz Arango, author of the Newbery Honor winner Iveliz Explains It All and the Pura Belpré honor winner Something Like Home

"What Fell From the Sky is the perfect blend of middle grade voice, memorable characters, and spine-chills--of real Cold War history, Stranger Things, and E.T. Like all of Cuevas' books, it is brimming with charm, thrills, and whacky adventure. Readers will easily connect with Pineda and be delighted by the peril that falls from the sky!" --Sarah Allen, author of What Stars Are Made Of and Monster Tree

"With tons of humor, the author paints a vivid picture of small-town life in 1952 with its fears and prejudices... The author has crafted a clever plot so that when the final scene happens, it plays as beautifully as a Steven Spielberg movie, only with whacky twists that are just right." --Historical Novels Review

Praise for The Ghosts of Rancho Espanto:

2024 Edgar Allan Poe Award Winner
2025 Rhode Island Middle School Book Award List
Vermont Golden Dome Book Award List

"Adrianna Cuevas deftly weaves together friendship and mystery in a tale that is not just about the ghosts of the departed, but also of love, loss, and lingering grief." --Julie C. Dao, author of Team Chu and the Battle of Blackwood Arena

"Another humorous, sensitive, and compelling story." --Horn Book

"[...] readers of all ages will be compelled to reflect upon their own lives and legacies after this gripping read." --Booklist

"Cuevas crafts a whirlwind mystery populated by a compassionate community of lovable characters with effervescent personalities, to explore themes of grief, healing, and PTSD with tenderness and well-timed humor." --PW

"An intriguing mystery with a satisfying emotional payoff." --Kirkus

Praise for The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez:

2021 Pura Belpré Honor Book
NYPL Best Book of 2020
2020 Evanston Public Library Great Books for Kids

"A marvelous, magical mystery that deftly blends family, friends and folklore." --David Bowles, author of Pura Belpré Honor Book and Walter Dean Myers Honor Book They Call Me Güero

"Mystery, adventure, humor, friendship, and...talking animals--The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez has it all! Readers will love this funny, fast-paced, heartwarming story." --Celia C. Pérez, author of the Pura Belpre Honor book The First Rule of Punk

"A charming and vibrant debut fantasy." --Kirkus Reviews

"Readers will devour this fast-paced adventure as they root for Nestor and his ragtag bunch of friends and animal allies . . . In a unique take on South and Central American folklore, Cuevas brings to life an earthly type of twisted magic that transcends spells and transfiguration, extending into the feelings of belonging and finding a true home." --Booklist

"With this heartwarming debut, Cuevas draws upon Central American legends and her Cuban heritage to flesh out Nestor's experiences . . . crafting a tense, satisfying tale of magic, family, and finding one's true home." Publishers Weekly

"Cuevas crafts a riveting story based on folktales from Panama and Costa Rica." --School Library Journal

Praise for Cuba In My Pocket:

Kirkus Best Book of the Year
2024 Indiana Library Federation Read Aloud

"Cuba in My Pocket is an authentic and moving portrayal of a tragic era in Cuban history, told with empathy and hope." -- Margarita Engle, Newbery Honor-winning author and Young People's Poet Laureate Emeritus

"Adrianna Cuevas has written a book that is a beautiful gift to the memory of her father, filled with love and a great respect for the culture and folklore of Cuba."
-- Ruth Behar, author of Pura Belpré Award-Winning book, Lucky Broken Girl, and Sydney Taylor Notable book, Letters from Cuba

"A harrowing and important read. Cuevas explores an often-hidden moment in Cuban American history with heart, compassion, and authenticity." -- Ernesto Cisneros, author of Pura Belpré Award-Winning book Efrén Divided

"Cuba in My Pocket is beautifully told and vividly realized. Cuevas thoughtfully explores the agonizing loss of home and family and what it means to try and hold onto both from across the sea." -- Nina Moreno, author of Don't Date Rosa Santos

"From the riveting glimpse into 1960s Cuba, to narrator Cumba--beautifully drawn in all his bravery, wit, and spirit--this story is a triumph." --Laura Taylor Namey, New York Times bestselling author of A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow

"Cuba in My Pocket is an expertly written, emotional roller coaster you don't want to miss." -- Saadia Faruqi, author of Yusuf Azeem Is Not A Hero

"Inspired by stories from her father's childhood, Cuevas' latest is a triumph of the heart...A compassionate, emotionally astute portrait of a young Cuban in exile." -- Kirkus, STARRED REVIEW

"Cuevas' intense and immersive account of a Cuban boy's experience after the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion brings a specific point in history alive ... Drawing from her father's boyhood experiences, Cuevas does an outstanding job of eliciting the confusing array of emotions Cumba feels as he is thrown into life in a new country." -- Booklist, STARRED REVIEW

"Cuevas packs this sophomore novel with palpable emotions and themes of friendship, love, longing, and trauma, attentively conveying tumultuous historical events from the lens of one young refugee." -- Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW

"A story of friendship, identity, and courage showing that even one voice can spark resistance." - Kirkus

"[...] readers looking for a less creepy, far funnier version of Stranger Things will find it with Pineda and Luisa" - BCCB

About the Author

Adrianna Cuevas is the author of the Pura Belpré Honor book The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez, The Ghosts of Rancho Espanto, Cuba in My Pocket, and other middle grade books. She is a first-generation Cuban-American originally from Miami, Florida. A former Spanish and ESOL teacher, Adrianna currently resides outside of Austin, Texas, with her husband and son. When not working with TOEFL students, wrangling multiple pets including an axolotl, and practicing fencing with her son, she is writing her next novel.