This bilingual story weaves elements of contemporary border-town life with traditional tales from Mexico and South Texas. Smartly written in two parts, first English and then Spanish, Saldaña's novel features vivid characters, well-paced plots, and charming, spine-tingling narrations. Readers will feel Joey's heart break as he watches his date, Marlen, dance with the devil and will catch their breath as Laura and Miguel feel the cold breath of La Llorona hissing behind them ("There was something about the fierceness in this woman's eyes, her hair whipping about her like vipers, and that cry of hers as she breathed down our necks"). Like Xavier Garza's Creepy Creatures and Other Cucuys (2004), each of the six short stories has enough chills to make kids think twice before ignoring the advice of their elders. Saldaña faithfully gives new life to the spooky folklore of the South and makes the tales fresh for today's adolescent readers, who may be left wondering what other creatures lurk in the night.