Once a year, I pick five novels and read the flap copy to the students. Then, the class votes on which book they want for our class read aloud. From looking at covers, everyone said they were going to vote for Inkling by Kenneth Oppal. But as soon as I read the flap copy for Cece Rios and the Desert Of Souls by Kaela Rivera, their bodies stopped wriggling. They were mesmerized. Cece Rios cast her spell and it didn’t end until we’d read the last page. But don’t take my word, take theirs. I did edit their comments for punctuation and capitalization.
Trevor wrote, “I would like to recommend Cece Rios And The Desert Of Souls to ANYONE who is reading or listening to a book about Mexico or even studying Mexico. It has a nice climax and a sad beginning. The ending is sharp, and the reason that I loved it is because of the intenseness. It had a ton of parts where I was wrong about what would happen to the point where I stopped guessing and just listened. Cece Rios And The Desert Of Souls Is the best!”
Hannah wrote, “I would recommend Cece Rios because it is so adventurous. One of the reasons Cece Rios is adventurous is because when Cece goes out and tries to save her stolen sister, Juana, and goes through a lot of drama and challenges to get her back from El sombreron and meets a lot of criaturas(creatures) and has to fight in the criatura fights to get into Devils Alley. You should read Cece Rios if you like adventure, fantasy, and drama( there is also another book!)”
Leila wrote, “Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls is a spectacular and entertaining book. It catches your attention the moment you read the first chapter. When Cece Rios’s sister, Juana, gets captured by a dangerous criatura, El Sombreron, it’s Cece’s fault she’s captured and her responsibility to get Juana back. This fantasy adventure is a great book. I recommend you read it before the next book comes out!”
Pedro wrote, “I recommend Cece Rios and The Desert of Souls to the other students because of the sense of humor the book has. And because it is about a family and a Mexican American folktale. The book has lots of motion and emotion. And something that’s amazing is that the author is only in their 20s! It has been one of the best books I’ve seen so far. The cliffhangers were amazing especially at the end. That’s why I recommend Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls to the other 4th graders.”
Ethan wrote, “I recommend Cece Rios because it teaches you a little bit of Spanish. It has a very good use of words. It has a lot of cliffhangers and exciting parts. It is very fun to read and there are supposed to be two new books coming out soon. It also has a good sense of humor. This is why I recommend Cece Rios for other fourth graders.”
Abby wrote, “Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls should have the reward of being the best book filled with action, adventure, cliffhangers, and magic. If you are a person who loves all these things this book is calling your name. The setting starts at cerros ( the hills beyond town) and is is very dangerous in the criatura months, here is a quote from the book, ”Living in the remote town of Tierra del Sol is dangerous-especially in the criatura months, when powerful spirits break free from their home in Devil’s Alley to threaten humankind” That sounds veryintriguing to me.”
Colin wrote, “I would recommend this book because it has fantasy, Spanish words, and a lot of action! I would also recommend this because after reading the first book there’s a second one! If you like fighting, suspense, reading, and deserts then I would get in your car and drive to every library until you find it! I also recommend this book because there are 4 criaturas (creatures) that Cece Rios has and there are really cool Ocelot, Coyote, Little Lion, and Kit Fox on Cece’s side.”
Gracie wrote, “Cece Rios, well where do I start? Oh I know. I am going to tell you how much I loved it! If you like magic, adventures, and cliffhangers you will love this book. Also, I should probably tell you the base of the book and don’t worry I will not be a spoiler, well hopefully not. The setting is taking place in a desert and the book is filled with criaturas which are creatures but in Spanish, and brujos and brujas which are male and female witches they control the criaturas. I think everybody will love this book because it has a lot of loving family and trust. That’s all I can tell you without being a spoiler so you should read this book. I am probably going to read it again!!!”
Ben wrote, “You should read Cece Rios because it has a lot of action, it’s sad and fast paced. The first reason why you should read Cece Rios and The Desert of Souls is because it has a lot of action . An example is when they are fighting El Sombreron and El Sombreron’s guitar is out of hands but its hard to smash and then he gets his guitar back. This shows that there is a lot of action because there’s move after move back and forth so Cece Rios has a lot of action. Another reason why you should read Cece Rios is because its sad. Its sad because Juana gets captured and that’s sad.”
Connor wrote, “I would recommend Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls because it has an awesome plot line. It’s based around a Mexican-American folktale. The plot is about a girl who lives in a world where there were gods and they sacrificed themselves to start the world, the ocean goddess made the sea and sea life, the sun god made the sun and humans, and the desert god made the desert and criaturas, creatures like humans, except they are more powerful and look a little more like animals. Cece’s sister gets taken by a dark criatura, and Cece goes on a quest to find her. What happens next? Well you just have to read Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls by Kaela Rivera to find out.”
Nicholas wrote, “Cece Rios is a fun book of nailbiters, cliffhangers, trust, secret identities and much more. One reason Cece Rios is a fun book is because nailbiters. At some points there are spots were if you stop you get a great cliffhanger.”
Bella wrote, “Cece Rios is a fantastic book. After the first chapter, I fell in love . And it is so interesting Wait! I don’t want to spoil it so I’ll only tell you a little bit. So these are the basics. The main character is Cece. And Cece turns into a bruja. You’ll find out what bruja means in the story. Cece goes through so much adventures. And she is so brave.”
Grace wrote, “I would recommend Cece Rios because even though Cece was scared she fought for Juana. She didn’t give up, she kept going, and she got her sister back. This shows she is brave. If you get to read the book with your teacher, I hope you like it.”
Julia wrote, “Cece Rios is a fantastic book. Round of applause to Kaela Rivera for writing such an incredible book. The book is full of adventures, suspense, and excitement. All you need in a book is action, details, and dialogue. And I’ve gotta tell you this book has it all. If you’re looking for a book to read anytime, and anywhere this is the book to do it. In conclusion, Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls in an incredible, fantastic book.”
