{"product_id":"the-madre-de-aguas-of-cuba-isbn-9780735231429","title":"The Madre de Aguas of Cuba","description":"\u003cb\u003eCritically acclaimed author Emma Otheguy joins Newbery Honor-winning Adam Gidwitz as co-author of the newest adventure in the \u003ci\u003eNYT\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling Unicorn Rescue Society series as the kids travel to Cuba to help the legendary Madre de aguas.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn Cuba, it is believed that a mysterious water serpent--the Madre de aguas--is responsible for providing and protecting the fresh water of the island. But the serpent is missing, and a drought has gripped the island. Uchenna, Elliot, and Professor Fauna fly to Cuba and endeavor to rescue the Madre de aguas. Unfortunately, it tries to kill them. Meanwhile, the Schmoke Brothers' goons are driving around Havana, dumping pink sludge into the sewers. What is going on? Can Elliot and Uchenna end the drought? Stop the Schmokes? Or will the creature they are trying to save just eat them instead?\u003cb\u003eAdam Gidwitz\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of the critically acclaimed, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling Grimm trilogy. He spent six years researching and writing his Newbery Honor-winning \u003ci\u003eThe Inquisitor's Tale\u003c\/i\u003e, including a year living in Europe. Adam lives with his family in Brooklyn, NY. Find Adam online at adamgidwitz.com or @AdamGidwitz. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eEmma Otheguy\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of the middle grade novel\u003ci\u003e Silver Meadows Summer\u003c\/i\u003e, and picture books \u003ci\u003eMartí's Song for Freedom\u003c\/i\u003e, which received five starred reviews, and \u003ci\u003ePope Francis: Builder of Bridges\u003c\/i\u003e. A native and current resident of New York City, Emma is a historian of Spain and colonial Latin America. Learn more about her online at emmaotheguy.com and @emmaotheguy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHatem Aly is an Egyptian-born illustrator whose work has been featured in multiple publications worldwide. He currently lives in beautiful New Brunswick, Canada, with his wife, son, and more pets than people. His illustrated work\u003cbr\u003eincludes the Newbery Honor winner \u003ci\u003eThe Inquisitor's Tale\u003c\/i\u003e by Adam Gidwitz, the Unicorn Rescue Society series also\u003cbr\u003eby Adam Gidwitz with several amazing contributing authors, the Story Pirates book series with Geoff Rodkey\u003cbr\u003eand Jacqueline West, early readers series Meet Yasmin with Saadia Faruqi, and \u003ci\u003eHow to Feed Your Parents\u003c\/i\u003e by Ryan\u003cbr\u003eMiller. He has more upcoming books and projects in the works. You can find him online @metahatem.\u003cp\u003eUnicorns are real. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt least, I think they are.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDragons are definitely real. I have seen them. Chupa­cabras exist, too. Also Sasquatch. And mermaids—though they are\u003ci\u003enot\u003c\/i\u003e what you think. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut back to unicorns. When I, Professor Mito Fauna, was a young man, I lived in the foothills of Peru. One day, there were rumors in my town of a unicorn in danger, far up in the mountains. At that instant I founded the Unicorn Rescue ­Society—I was the only member—and set off to save the unicorn. When I finally located it, though, I saw that it was\u003ci\u003enot\u003c\/i\u003e a unicorn, but rather a qarqacha, the legendary two-headed llama of the Andes. I was very slightly disappointed. I rescued it anyway. Of course.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNow, many years later, there are members of the Unicorn Rescue Society all around the world. We are sworn to protect all the creatures of myth and legend. Including unicorns! If we ever find them! Which I’m sure we will! \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut our enemies are powerful and ruthless, and we are in desperate need of help. Help from someone brave and kind and curious, and brave. (Yes, I said “brave” twice. It’s important.) \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWill you help us? Will you risk your very \u003ci\u003elife\u003c\/i\u003e to protect the world’s mythical creatures? \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWill you join the Unicorn Rescue Society? \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI hope so. The creatures need you.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eDefende Fabulosa! Protege Mythica! \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eProf. Mito Fauna\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMito Fauna, DVM, PhD, EdD, etc\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eChapter One\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUchenna gazed over the tropical island. Palm trees studded green hillsides. Rivers meandered through valleys. It was the most beautiful island she had ever seen.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUnfortunately, it was only thirteen inches long and nine inches wide, because it had to fit in a baking pan. And it was made out of clay, dirt, twigs, and other materials she and Elliot had found around the playground. But it was \u003ci\u003eway\u003c\/i\u003e nicer than the landscapes of all the other kids in Ms. Vole’s class.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePai Lu, with her black eyeliner and black nail polish and black pants and black shirt and black rings and black combat boots, had made a “blighted waste,” as she called it. “Nothing can grow in this cursed land!” she’d announced. “Except for shadows and despair!” Uchenna didn’t really get Pai Lu.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShruti and Janey had made an arctic tundra—­which just meant that they had filled their baking pan with ripped-­up tissues. Uchenna found this ironic, because Janey constantly had a finger up her nose and Uchenna had \u003ci\u003enever\u003c\/i\u003e seen her use a tissue.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd then there was Jimmy. Jimmy and Jasper and Jhonna had made a big brown lump. Uchenna figured it was supposed to be a mountain, or a hill, or maybe a dung heap. (Which means a pile of poop; Jimmy was\u003ci\u003every\u003c\/i\u003e into dung heaps.) For some reason, Jimmy was currently sticking pieces of brown clay up one of his nostrils.\u003ci\u003eDefinitely a dung heap,\u003c\/i\u003e Uchenna thought.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJust then, Elliot returned to the table with a watering can, grinning. “Ready to see how fresh water systems function on tropical islands?!” he asked.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“I’m kind of more excited to see how Jimmy is going to get that clay out of his nose,” Uchenna replied.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Don’t be silly! With these wells, lakes, and underground cave and tunnel systems we’ve created, we should be able to replicate the true behavior of a water table on a Caribbean island!” Elliot began to sprinkle water over one half of the landscape. Soon, the lakes they’d made began to fill up. He kept pouring the water—­amazingly, the lakes didn’t overflow. Instead, water began to appear in tiny wells they’d dug on the\u003ci\u003eother\u003c\/i\u003e side of the island.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Cool!” Uchenna exclaimed.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Right?! The water is running through our hidden, subterranean—­”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“No,” Uchenna interrupted. “Jimmy’s trying to shoot the clay out of his nostril by pouring water in the\u003ci\u003eother\u003c\/i\u003e nostril. I guess their project is a geyser?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJhonna and Jasper were clapping in rhythm, urging Jimmy on, as he leaned his head back and tried to angle the spout of a water pitcher up his nose. Ms. Vole finally noticed what was happening and hustled over to prevent Jimmy’s Nasal Geyser from erupting all over everything.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJust then, the door of the classroom burst open, revealing a tall man with a bushy beard, an enormous shock of black and white hair, and a disheveled tweed suit. His shoulders were rising and falling like he’d been running.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Excuse me, Ms. Vole!” announced Professor Fauna, in a voice as rich and rocky as the mountains of his native Peru. “I need to borrow—­”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eProfessor Fauna stopped speaking. Ms. Vole had Jimmy bent backwards over her knee, and she was reaching up his nose with her forefinger and thumb.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Uh, Ms. Vole, what are you doing?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMs. Vole looked up like she’d been caught. “Well . . . uh . . . it’s a science experiment. . . .”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Ah. I see. Anywhat, I need to borrow Elliot and Uchenna for the rest of the day.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“For the rest of the day?!” exclaimed Ms. Vole.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e“Urgk!”\u003c\/i\u003e said Jimmy, who still had Ms. Vole’s fingers up his nose.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“It is \u003ci\u003every\u003c\/i\u003e important,” Professor Fauna assured her. “It’s a . . .” He looked at Elliot and Uchenna. They both shrugged. “A science experiment!” he continued. “Like yours! I also have something stuck in my nose-­holes! Elliot, Uchenna, follow me!”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs Elliot and Uchenna followed the professor out of the classroom, they heard Janey say, “They get to skip class\u003ci\u003eagain\u003c\/i\u003e?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShruti replied, “Yeah, but it’s always to do weird stuff with that weirdo Professor Fauna. They’re going to spend\u003ci\u003eall day\u003c\/i\u003e picking his nose!”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePai Lu made a gagging face. Janey, whose finger had found its way back up her nose, said, “Yeah, totally gross.” Shruti gave her a look. “What?” said Janey. “I don’t pick\u003ci\u003eother\u003c\/i\u003e people’s noses!”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJimmy started screaming as Ms. Vole switched to a pipe cleaner to get the clay out of his nasal cavity.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eChapter Two\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"Pronto, chibolos!\u003c\/i\u003e There is no time to waste!” Professor Fauna led them down the hallway at a brisk pace. Elliot and Uchenna had to hurry to keep up, firing questions as they went.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Where are we going?” Uchenna had a spring in her step.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eElliot followed her, decidedly less enthusiastic. Professor Fauna was the founder of the Unicorn Rescue Society, a secret organization devoted to keeping the world’s mythical creatures safe from danger. Elliot and Uchenna were two of the youngest, and newest, members. They regularly accompanied the professor on his creature-­saving missions. Usually, they all almost died. Which was why Elliot was not enthusiastic.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eProfessor Fauna led the children down two sets of stairs, into the subbasement of the school, and continued striding down a dark hallway, toward a door that used to sayjanitorial supplies, but now had a sign taped on it that read,mito fauna, dvm, phd, edd, social studies department.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the few months that they’d been members of the Unicorn Rescue Society, Elliot and Uchenna had already missed a great deal of school in order to travel to distant locations to save dragons and chupacabras and—­\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“JERSEY!” Elliot yelled. A blue blur bolted out of Professor Fauna’s office and slammed into Elliot’s chest. Jersey was a blue Jersey Devil with red wings. He was the first mythical creature that Elliot and Uchenna had ever rescued, and he had adopted them. “Come on, little guy, let the sweater live!” Elliot said as he tried to pull Jersey’s sharp talons off the cable-knit sweater his grandmother had knit for him. “Bubbe will kill me if this ­unravels. . . .”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile Elliot wrestled with Jersey in the hallway, Professor Fauna was in his office, gathering up armfuls of old papers from his desk. He even unpinned one from the wall, rolled it up, and shoved it under his armpit. Then, arms overflowing with documents and maps, Professor Fauna pulled the door to his office closed behind him with his shoe.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Come, come!” he said, \u003ci\u003e“¡El avión nos espera!”\u003c\/i\u003e And, completely blinded by the papers, he made his way down the dark corridor. He walked directly into a large trash can.\u003ci\u003e“¡Palabrota!”\u003c\/i\u003e he muttered and changed course slightly.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“What is going on?” Uchenna asked Elliot, gesturing at Professor Fauna.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eElliot was still trying to get Jersey off his sweater. “What do you mean?” he said. “He’s taking us on another reckless mission, in violation of school regulations and probably many national and international child protection laws. . . .” Elliot managed to get Jersey to cling to his face instead of his sweater. “What else is new?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“No. He’s acting even weirder than usual. Professor!” Uchenna called, hurrying after their wiry, wiry-­haired mentor. “And what’s with all those papers?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt the end of the hallway, two steps led to a door markedemergency exit only. do not open. alarm will sound. Professor Fauna pushed the door open with his hip. No alarm went off. They emerged into the faculty parking lot.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Looks like it might rain,” said Uchenna, stopping and looking at the sky, which was heavy with low-­hanging clouds.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Twenty-­five percent chance of a massive storm,” Elliot told her. “Up and down the East Coast. It’s been all over the weather reports.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Twenty-­five percent chance,” said Uchenna. “That’s not too bad.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eElliot stared up at the clouds. “Twenty-­five percent is a lot! It’s the likelihood that a baseball player gets a hit, or that you flip heads in a row two times, or that you step in dog poop in any given year.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUchenna shot Elliot a look. “You made that last one up.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“I did. But it \u003ci\u003efeels\u003c\/i\u003e right, doesn’t it?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003ci\u003e¡Vámonos!\u003c\/i\u003e Time is of the essence!” Professor Fauna called from the\u003ci\u003ePhoenix\u003c\/i\u003e. His rickety single-­propeller plane was parked, as always, between Ms. Vole’s motorcycle and Principal Kowalski’s hatchback. The plane was held together by duct tape and, it seemed, good luck. Climbing into the small cabin always made Elliot feel slightly nauseous, whereas taking off and landing always made him feel \u003ci\u003eviolently\u003c\/i\u003e nauseous—­and scared for his life.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUchenna pulled open one of the doors. Professor Fauna had flung his load of papers onto the\u003ci\u003ePhoenix\u003c\/i\u003e’s steel floor. Uchenna clambered over them and into her customary seat. Elliot, cursing the day he had joined the Unicorn Rescue Society, climbed in after her, Jersey now clinging to the back of his head. Professor Fauna swung himself in, slammed the door closed behind him, and started the engine. The propeller began to spin.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003ci\u003eAhora\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003emis amigos\u003c\/i\u003e, off we go to Miami!”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Miami?” Uchenna asked. “Is there a magical creature there?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“No doubt there are many,” Professor Fauna answered. “But Miami is just a stop where we will be picking up my dear friend Yoenis. Together, we all shall fly into the Caribbean, to the largest and nearest Caribbean island of them all: Cuba!”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eElliot put his head in his hands.\u003ci\u003e“Dios mío,”\u003c\/i\u003e he sighed.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eProfessor Fauna turned to him. “Nice use of\u003ci\u003eespañol\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eamiguito\u003c\/i\u003e.” He gunned the engine of the \u003ci\u003ePhoenix\u003c\/i\u003e and looked up into the heavy clouds. “Now, I recommend that you fasten your seat belts especially well today.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eElliot groaned.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eChapter Three\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs Professor Fauna steered the \u003ci\u003ePhoenix\u003c\/i\u003e toward the end of the school’s long driveway, Elliot gripped Uchenna with one hand and his seat belt with the other. “So,” he asked, trying to sound nonchalant, “what’s happening in ­Cuba\u003ci\u003eaaaaaaaaaah!\u003c\/i\u003e”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eProfessor Fauna had yanked back on the yoke and the plane was flying up at an extreme and unsafe angle.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“It is complicated,” said Professor Fauna.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe back of Elliot’s head was buried in the headrest, Jersey was now wrapped around his neck like a scarf, and the plane was still flying straight up into the air. The ominous clouds were now directly ahead of them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“More complicated than usual?” Uchenna managed to say as the plane finally began to level off. “Rescuing missing dragons and reuniting bloodsucking creatures with their families is pretty complicated. . . .”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Yes, \u003ci\u003eclaro\u003c\/i\u003e,” agreed Professor Fauna. “But there are actually \u003ci\u003ethree\u003c\/i\u003e reasons we are going to Cuba. First, there is a very bad\u003ci\u003esequía\u003c\/i\u003e there. A drought. Without enough clean water, people are thirsty, and farms dry up. This is reason number one.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ci\u003ePhoenix\u003c\/i\u003e entered the clouds and immediately began to jolt and dip—­up and down, like a broken carnival ride. Jersey gave Elliot and Uchenna his most pathetic puppy dog expression. His skin was particularly blue.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“He looks airsick,” Uchenna said.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe plane jerked up and then dropped down again. Jersey’s eyes bulged. He moaned. Then he crawled down to the floor between Elliot’s legs.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Poor little guy,” Elliot said, rubbing Jersey’s furry blue head.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUchenna turned back to the professor. “So, what’s reason number two?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Ah yes! Reason number two for visiting Cuba,” Professor Fauna announced, “is that Yoenis’s mother, Rosa, has not seen a friend of hers in many weeks.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUchenna cocked an eyebrow. “Uh . . . is this friend someone special or important?” The Unicorn Rescue Society didn’t typically go looking for people’s missing friends.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“I would say so,” Professor Fauna replied. “Her friend, after all, is a sea serpent.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUchenna said, “Oh! Cool!”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eElliot moaned, “I have a feeling that this isn’t some\u003ci\u003enice\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003esmall\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSAFE\u003c\/i\u003e sea serpent. Am I right?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eProfessor Fauna shrugged.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“And what’s the third reason we’re going to Cuba?” Uchenna asked.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eProfessor Fauna grinned at her mysteriously.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Eyes on the sky, Professor,” Uchenna reminded him.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHe looked back out the window. The plane dipped violently again.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eElliot screamed, \u003ci\u003e“No!”\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“It’s okay,” Uchenna reassured him. “We’re not crashing. Yet.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“It’s not that,” Elliot replied.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Then what?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eElliot pointed at his shoes.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJersey had thrown up all over them.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Dutton Books for Young Readers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46302267080933,"sku":"NP9780735231429","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780735231429.jpg?v=1767740356","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-madre-de-aguas-of-cuba-isbn-9780735231429","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}