Starred Review ALA Booklist (Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

Starred Review Boli, 13, and his loving family live in a tiny rural village in Mexico, where his father is a baker. Although the town and Boli's friends are quite poor, life is pleasant and easygoing; he spends afternoons playing marbles with his best friend and is excited by the upcoming visit of luchadores (Mexican wrestlers). Against this realistically poor but serene backdrop, Diederich inserts the drug wars: corruption in the form of newcomers flaunting money, currying favor with police and the village priest, and seducing high-school girls. When the schoolteacher's severed head is found in the town square after Sunday mass, Boli's parents decide to go to police in a larger town for help. They never return, and no one seems interested in helping find them, until a second-rate luchador with a drinking problem is taken in by Boli. El Chicano Estrada becomes the boy's surrogate father and partner in fighting the graft now running rampant. Striking imagery and symbolism, along with the timeliness of the subject, make this title a natural for classroom discussion, and a Spanish glossary will aid English-only speakers. Diederich, who grew up in Mexico City, brings firsthand experience as well as tremendous compassion to this poignant coming-of-age novel.

Horn Book (Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

Thirteen-year-old Boli's life changes forever when drug cartels come to his small Mexican town. When his parents fail to return from a trip, Boli is certain they have been murdered. He finds hope in an unlikely hero: a washed-up (lucha libre) wrestler. Readers will root for Boli as he tries to save his town. A searing, violence-drenched depiction of the terror of the drug war. Glos.

School Library Journal (Tue Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2016)

Gr 7 Up-Nothing ever happens in the small Mexican town of Izayoc, where 13-year-old Boli spends his time playing marbles with his friends, working at his family's bakery, and reading about the luchadores, who not only wrestle but fight crime, too. That changes one hot Sunday morning when the severed head of Boli's teacher is found in the plaza; less than a week later, another murder is discovered. As fear and suspicion escalate, Boli begins to notice the subtle changes happening around him, especially the flashy newcomers arriving in expensive cars with California license plates. When Boli's parents fail to return from their trip to request federal assistance, he sets out to discover the truth behind their disappearance with the help of washed-up wrestler El Chicano Estrada. Gritty and unflinching, Diederich's narrative doesn't shy away from the ugliness of Mexico's ongoing narcoviolence, which stands in stark contrast to Boli's idealism and innocence. Young but grounded, Boli is the moral center of the story, and while others around him succumb to the allure of drug culture, he stands his ground but pays the price for his choice; unsurprisingly, it's through his eyes that the author, who grew up in Mexico City, comments on the widespread corruption and bloodshed. Heavily peppered with Mexican Spanish, the dialogue is authentic, and while a glossary is included, having to consult it repeatedly might disrupt some teens' reading experience. VERDICT A compelling yet horrifying read that will resonate with murder-mystery and thriller fans. Audrey Sumser, Kent State University at Tuscarawas, New Philadelphia, OH

Voice of Youth Advocates

Boli would prefer to just hang out with his best friend, playing marbles and shining shoes, trying to earn enough money to attend the lucha wrestling match at the upcoming fair. Everything changes when the severed head of an outspoken teacher is found in the plaza of his small Mexican town. Wealthy strangers with guns start moving into town. More bodies turn up. His parents never return home from a trip to the big city to report the murders. Believing in the superhero-like powers of El Santo the Mexican Wrestler, Boli talks a washed-up wrestler from the fair into becoming the town's savior. This is real life, however, and the results are bittersweet at best.Drawing from his own experiences, Diederich provides some welcome diversity with a realistic portrayal of the crime and violence riding roughshod over the daily lives of ordinary Mexican people. This may be affirming of their experience for Mexican immigrants and eye-opening for other teens. However, the slow-moving, descriptive, and very dark narrative is not likely to appeal to young or reluctant readers. The glossary for the untranslated Spanish sprinkled throughout the text is selective yet does manage to include most of the swear words. Though told from the still largely childlike perspective of thirteen-year-old Boli, the subject matter and literary style of writing make this title more likely to appeal to older teens and adults.Elizabeth Matson.