The Way to Rio Luna
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- $5.99
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
For fans of The Land of Stories comes an adventure that reveals the secret warnings hidden inside all classic tales -- beware fairyland at all costs.Eleven-year-old Danny Monteverde believes in magic. He knows that pixie dust is real, that wardrobes act as portals, and that rabbit holes lead to Wonderland. Most of all, he believes that his older sister, Pili, is waiting for him somewhere in Rio Luna, the enchanted land in their favorite book of fairy tales. Danny doesn't care what the adults say. He knows that Pili isn't another teen runaway. When the siblings were placed in separate foster homes, she promised that she'd come back for him, and they'd build a new life together in Rio Luna.Yet as the years pass, Danny's faith begins to dim. But just when he thinks it might be time to put foolish fairy tales behind him, he finds a mysterious book in the library. It's a collection of stories that contain hints about how to reach another world. A map to Rio Luna . . . and to Pili. As his adventure takes him from New York to Ecuador to Brazil, Danny learns that meeting your favorite characters isn't always a dream come true. But nothing will stop him from finding his sister . . . even if it means standing up to the greatest threat the magical realm has ever known.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Two years prior to the start of C rdova's (Incendiary) middle grade debut, 11-year-old Danny and older sister Pili cycle through group and foster homes until being separated. Before Pili disappears entirely a runaway, Danny's told she leaves him with her favorite book, fairy tale volume The Way to Rio Luna. He carries it everywhere, thoroughly annoying his cruel foster siblings and impatient foster parents on Staten Island until the book is taken away. A school trip to the New York Public Library ("the big one with the lions out front") introduces Danny to Glory Papillon, a girl about his age, and reaffirms his belief in magic especially when he encounters the original copy of Rio Luna. With Glory's help, Danny sets out to find his sister, perhaps in Rio Luna. In this fantasy with a classic feel, characters of various skin tones and circumstances prove relatable, catching readers up in their triumphs and tribulations. Ages 8 up.