{"product_id":"lola-isbn-9798217123209","title":"Lola","description":"\u003cb\u003eA simmering tale of magic, adventure, and the extraordinary bond between a brother and sister who'd journey to the ends of the Earth to save each other. From the acclaimed author of \u003ci\u003eLotería \u003c\/i\u003ecomes a heartfelt story rooted in Mexican magical realism.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA PURA BELPRÉ AUTHOR WINNER • A \u003ci\u003eKIRKUS REVIEWS\u003c\/i\u003e BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTen-year-old Lola has always been touched by magic. In her Mexico City home, built around a towering tree, she is accustomed to enchanted blooms that change with the seasons, a sandbox that spits out mysterious treasures, and mischievous chaneques that scuttle about unseen by all but her. Magic has always been a part of her life, but now she must embrace the extraordinary as never before.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEver since The Thing That Happened, Lola's brother Alex has been sick. As his condition worsens, something begins eating away at the tree, causing its leaves and blossoms to crumble like ash. The two are related, Lola is sure of it, but how? Seeking a cure, she visits a grocery store oracle who bids her to follow the chaneques down one of their secret passages... into a hidden world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHere in Floresta, a land of myths and monsters and marvels untold, lies the key to healing her brother. But the kingdom's young queen stands in the way. Lola must use her wits and face her deepest fears if there's any hope of saving Alex in time.\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003eA TEXAS BLUEBONNET AWARD NOMINEE\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"An enchanting journey of beauty and heartbreak.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e Lola's story will immerse you in an unimaginable world, filled with undying love.\" —DONNA BARBA HIGUERA, NEWBERY MEDALIST FOR \u003ci\u003eTHE LAST CUENTISTA\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e★ \u003c\/b\u003e\"A quest undertaken for love and healing, \u003cb\u003ereplete alike with astonishing marvels and provocative themes.\"\u003c\/b\u003e —\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e★ \u003c\/b\u003e\"The fantasy here is vividly imagined, but\u003cb\u003e the story itself is ultimately real, painful, and achingly beautiful.\u003c\/b\u003e\" —\u003ci\u003eThe Bulletin\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e★ “\u003cb\u003eReaders will be lining up to get this book\u003c\/b\u003e. A must-read for all upper elementary and middle school fantasy fans.” —\u003ci\u003eSchool Library Journal,\u003c\/i\u003e starred review\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e★ \"\u003cb\u003eA truly enchanting adventure\u003c\/b\u003e that both enthralls and entertains.” —\u003ci\u003eBooklist,\u003c\/i\u003e starred review\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Valenti skillfully incorporates magical realism into this captivating tale, taking the reader on \u003cb\u003ea memorable journey\u003c\/b\u003e through a different world.\" —\u003ci\u003eThe Horn Book\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003cb\u003eI never wanted to leave the lush and vibrant magical world of \u003ci\u003eLola\u003c\/i\u003e,\u003c\/b\u003e so full of surprises and delights. Karla Arenas Valenti has crafted a gorgeous tale, full of grace and hope.” —ANNE URSU, AUTHOR OF \u003ci\u003eNOT QUITE A GHOST \u003c\/i\u003eAND \u003ci\u003eTHE REAL BOY\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A modern folktale filled with imagination, adventure, and love.\u003c\/b\u003e Valenti weaves a vibrant, dreamlike tale exploring loss and letting go.\" —ADRIANNA CUEVAS, PURA BELPRÉ HONOREE FOR \u003ci\u003eTHE TOTAL ECLIPSE OF NESTOR LOPEZ\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“A beautifully crafted story full of adventure, magic, love, and heartache. \u003cb\u003eThis is a book to be treasured\u003c\/b\u003e.” —CHRISTINA DIAZ GONZALEZ, EDGAR AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF \u003ci\u003eCONCEALED\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e \"\u003cb\u003eA passionate tribute to nature and family.\u003c\/b\u003e\" —MARGARITA ENGLE, NEWBERY HONOREE FOR \u003ci\u003eTHE SURRENDER TREE\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eKarla Arenas Valenti \u003c\/b\u003ewrites stories for and about kids, taking readers on journeys steeped in magical realism and philosophical questions. Her storytelling is heavily influenced by her Mexican heritage and layered with ideas and concepts she's picked up in her many travels around the world. She is the recipient of the Pura Belpré Award, and her two middle grade novels \u003ci\u003eLola\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eLotería\u003c\/i\u003e have received a combined seven starred reviews. She currently resides in the Chicagoland area with her husband and three kids, two cats, and hundreds of books.\u003cb\u003e1\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The first brick was placed the day Lola was born.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e It was the cornerstone upon which the entire house was built a decade ago, and given that the house sat on a ravine—­always threatening to slip down that ragged slope—­it was a pretty important brick. Even so, and despite its rather significant role, the brick was not the most remarkable feature of the house. In fact, aside from a small, enigmatic carving on the side of the brick that read \u003ci\u003ealways and forever,\u003c\/i\u003e which nobody could explain, the cornerstone was as unremarkable as all the other stones that made up the multilevel home.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e By the time Lola, Alex, and her parents moved into the house, this ever-­important but unremarkable brick was completely hidden by pink bougainvillea, which, like everything in this house, followed its own set of rules and cared not one bit about what was expected of it. Within days of being planted, the wild tangle of pink flowers had spread across the front of the house, twining through the ironwork of the gates and even creeping into the neighbors’ driveways.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e But that wild bush wasn’t the most remarkable feature of Lola’s house, for there was also the ghost. A friendly vanilla-­scented specter that had been around since Lola’s big brother, Alex, was a baby. Alex swore the ghost used to play with him as a toddler, knocking over blocks and moving things on the floor so Alex would have to learn to crawl after them. Alex said the ghost was his personal protector, and it even followed the family to their new home after Lola was born.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Then, of course, there were the chaneques: nature spirits that lived in the house, whose job it was to protect all natural elements, including the Tree.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e There really was no shortage of unusual aspects to Lola’s house. But in truth, it was the Tree that claimed the grandiose title of \u003ci\u003emost \u003c\/i\u003eremarkable feature.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The Tree had been there long before the first brick arrived. Its branches extended far and wide; its roots dug deeper than any pylons supporting the house. And because it had been there first, the house was built around it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Building a house around a tree takes some planning. For starters, it requires a very high ceiling and a way to get massive amounts of sunshine. So the roof of Lola’s house was built like a triangle. Long, slanted sheets of highly reinforced glass opened up to the sky on the side where the Tree was planted.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Even though the Tree couldn’t talk, Lola was pretty sure it was happy with this arrangement, because the Tree was always in bloom, no matter the weather or season. The summer months brought tiny yellow blossoms that sprouted like popcorn on every branch and filled the house with the scent of mango-­guava fruit. Fall was a time of magenta flowers with large velvety petals, each imprinted with a pink starburst. The petals would fall of their own accord and for no apparent reason, but at the most convenient times. Like during a party when the guests were dressed in their finest, and someone needed a touch of color in their hair or on their lapel.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Living on a ravine in Mexico City meant the winter months were chilly. Appropriately, the Tree blanketed itself in what looked like feathery snowflakes. The glittering white flowers wrapped around little fruits that glistened like they held drops of moonlight.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e This year, the Tree was late in its winter blossoms. Its branches were still heavy with the magenta blossoms of fall, though they had lost some of their sheen and colorful brightness.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Lola loved the winter flowers and was eager for their return. She was often tempted to pluck one of these fruits and see what they contained. But they appeared otherworldly, almost sacred. No, she would only take what was given, and the Tree did not give up its moonlight fruits. Not until spring, when the scent of snow gave way to the smell of green.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Then the droplike fruits made the Tree glitter brightly  in the sunshine that streamed in from overhead. Day after day, the little fruits would gather the light, bloating with all the colors of the spectrum, until they were full to bursting.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e And burst they did.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e An explosion of rainbow splotches coated every inch of twig, branch, and limb, all the way down to the leathery roots that peeked out from the soil. From these colorful splotches new leaves would sprout, so for the season of spring, the Tree was like an Impressionist painting and a welcome sight after the gray months that preceded it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e And so it went until the weather warmed and the mango-­guava blossoms made their appearance once more.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Of course, the Tree couldn’t live off sun alone. It needed water. So the builders had devised an ingenious solution to take advantage of the torrential storms that bathed Mexico City during the rainy season: an indoor waterfall.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The waterfall was an elegant system, with strategically placed tubes that ran under the ground so that when it rained, the water would flow into the tubes and be carried directly to the roots of the Tree.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Lola knew this solution suited the Tree as well, because on particularly stormy nights, when the sky was a battle of light and thunder and the rain pounded against their triangle roof in sheets, the Tree would emit happy bursts of light like the bengalas Lola and Alex lit every Nochebuena.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Lola was especially proud of the fact that even though Alex was four years older, it was she who first dared touch one of the Tree’s sparklers. Lola had expected a shock or perhaps a burning sensation. Alex had been convinced it would electrocute her, and he had stood by with a wooden broom in hand, ready to break her connection to the Tree. What Lola had not expected was for the sparklers to feel like bubbles. And not the tingling of bubbles on her fingertips, but bubbles inside her, as if she’d gulped a full orange Fanta in one swoop. After much cajoling, she convinced Alex to drop the broom handle and join her, then they spent a good half hour giggling uncontrollably.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Now, the final consideration when building a house around a tree is making sure you create a wonderful garden to keep it company.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The Tree’s garden had stalks of golden amaranth, marigolds, and foxglove flowers that were favored by the butterflies that appeared one day and disappeared the next. There were big leafy plants and shrubby plants with white-­tipped leaves, plants with long fernlike fronds, and peace lilies with their cupped yellowish-­green spathes.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e A soft bed of fragrant moss grew at the base of the Tree, and around it was \u003ci\u003eTradescantia fluminensis,\u003c\/i\u003e Lola’s favorite plant of all\u003ci\u003e.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The vinelike \u003ci\u003eTradescantia\u003c\/i\u003e had green leaves striped with lilac, cream, pink, and magenta. But like its pink brethren growing wildly on the outside of the house, the \u003ci\u003eTradescantia\u003c\/i\u003e paid no mind to how it was supposed to function in the world, and one day it simply decided to shift from pink hues to blue hues, sporting a beautiful array of turquoise, indigo, and lapis lazuli stripes. Lola quite liked the change, especially because it matched the unusual streaks of blue that sprouted in her hair at the very same time.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e It was this once-­pink-­but-­now-­blue \u003ci\u003eTradescantia\u003c\/i\u003e that had Lola’s full attention as she sat at the breakfast table beneath the Tree, for right in the middle of one of its leaves was an odd, misshapen, and crusty spot. It was gray and speckled, like a grain of cement that had splattered onto the plant, and it appeared to be dulling the colors of the leaf all around it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The grainy stain wasn’t very large and probably not readily noticeable unless you loved this plant and had been watching it grow for as long as you knew it existed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e But once you saw it, it was impossible to ignore.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Lola was not alone in her attentiveness. A group of four concerned chaneques clustered around the plant in worried chatter.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Chaneques were small and stocky, with big round eyes, squat noses, and heavy eyebrows. They had slate-­gray hair and gray eyes in various shades from fog to charcoal. They mostly wore gray clothing with a pop of distinctive color. Sometimes they blended into the garden so seamlessly that Lola mistook them for rocks.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e But today they were all aflurry and difficult to ignore.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Lola pushed back the tight knot building in her stomach.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Despite its diminutive size, the crusty spot on the \u003ci\u003eTradescantia\u003c\/i\u003e pressed upon her like an evil omen. A heavy sense of dread washed over her.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eWhat on earth is that?\u003c\/i\u003e","brand":"Yearling","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48233342173413,"sku":"NP9798217123209","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9798217123209.jpg?v=1767731667","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/lola-isbn-9798217123209","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}