"Monsters, mayhem, and a little family magic will have readers rooting for Valentina!" -- Kwame Mbalia, New York Times bestselling author It takes a special person to end up in detention on the last day of school. It takes a REALLY special person to accidentally burn down the school yard while chasing a fire-breathing chipmunk. But nothing about Valentina Salazar has ever been "normal." The Salazars are protectors, tasked with rescuing the magical creatures who sometimes wander into our world, from grumpy unicorns to chupacabras... to the occasional fire-breathing chipmunk. When Val's father is killed during a rescue mission gone wrong, her mother decides it's time to retire from their life on the road. She moves the family to a boring little town in upstate New York and enrolls Val and her siblings in real school for the first time. But Val is a protector at heart and she can't give up her calling. So when a mythical egg surfaces in a viral video, Val convinces her reluctant siblings to help her find the egg before it hatches and wreaks havoc. But she has some competition: the dreaded monster hunters who’ll stop at nothing to destroy the creature... and the Salazar family. Gr 3–7—The heart of this middle grade novel is a family that begins to fray after a father's death. The pain and loss lead all of the children to react in varying ways that further divide them. Andromeda abandons her family's motto and purpose of saving magical creatures—in fact, she joins forces with her villainous uncle to hunt down and destroy them. Rome retreats into a world of silence rooted in misguided guilt over his father's loss. Lola leans into academics and cheerleading, spending every possible minute away from the home. And Valentina, the youngest, clings to the family's motto of Protect, Valor, Heart. When everyone tells her to stop searching for monsters, she disobeys. This disobedience alienates her from kids at school as well as her own family. But her rebellious spirit is a force to be reckoned with. Equal parts goofy and courageous, Valentina helps guide her family back to healing while also unraveling the truth about their father. Valentina's infectious can-do attitude is a uniting force. Not only does this young hero reassemble her fragmented family, she also weaves together a motley ensemble of believers in magic and monsters to help save the magical creatures. Young readers will especially love Brixie, a fairy and satellite character to Valentina who delivers pleasing comic relief. VERDICT Put this stellar magical family novel on both fantasy and adventure shelves.—Stephanie Creamer Praise for Valentina Salazar is Not a Monster Hunter : * "With a gutsy, lionhearted protagonist, an inventive cryptid menagerie, and a sensitive portrayal of grief's effect on individuals and familial dynamics as seen through young eyes, Córdova's narrative comes aglow as it unfolds, radiating warmth, humor, and a love of the fantasy genre on each and every page." -- Publishers Weekl y, Starred Review * "From the author who created the Brooklyn Brujas trilogy, Córdova brings a new fantastical adventure to younger readers. Córdova crafts an adventure story to explain a standard lesson that monsters (like humans) are not all bad and can be misunderstood. A wonderful read that shows people should never underestimate the power of family -- or their youngest siblings!" -- Booklist , Starred Review "Middle grade fantasy at its finest, led by a protagonist who has as much spirit and fire as the monsters she's sworn to protect.” -- Rena Barron, author of Maya and the Rising Dark "An action-packed, un-put-down-able, adventure filled with fun, family, and fabulous magical creatures! You're in for a real treat!" -- Sarah Beth Durst, award-winning author of Spark "A wondrous journey, full of friendship, family, and self-discovery. It has everything I look for in a book -- heart, humor, and an innovative magic system." -- Alex Aster, award-winning author of the Emblem Island series Praise for The Way To Rio Luna *"Córdova infuses Danny's quest with friendship, whimsy, and boundless creativity... the result is a revised canon of children's fantasy literature to center a global mythology, heralded by children of color. With its diverse, fully-realized cast of characters and inventive world-building, this complex adventure quest is a rare treat for fantasy lovers and those who believe in magic." -- School Library Journal , Starred Review "Córdova takes classic fairy-tale tropes and structure and modernizes them, adding diversity and providing a fresh storyline that a broad group of children will be able to relate to. Fans of the Narnia books or Norton Juster’s The Phantom Tollbooth will delight in this microcosmic story-within-a-story, full of secrets and surprises and overflowing with introductions to a host of whimsical characters." -- Booklist , Starred Review Zoraida Córdova is the award-winning author of the Brooklyn Brujas series,