Leyendas de misterio: La campana del ingenio. El mago de Aguas Buenas. (Mystery Legends: The Bell of Wit. The Wizard of Good Waters.)

Reviewed by Luis Francisco Vargas, Phoenix Public Library, Ocotillo Branch, AZ -- Críticas, 2/19/2008

Fuster Lavín, Ana María.

illus. by María Jesús Álvarez. Puerto Rico/U.S.: Alfaguara (Leyendas de Puerto Rico). 2006. 39p. ISBN 1-57581-864-7. pap. $7.95.

Gr 4-6–Combining mystery, historical fiction, and life in colonial Puerto Rico, these two folktales will keep young readers on the edge of their seats. In “La campana del ingenio,” an industrious Jamaican family relocates to Puerto Rico and soon become successful sugar plantation owners. However, tragedy strikes every time the now-obsolete plantation bell sounds. Mysteriously, only Doña Carlota can hear the fateful peals. In “El mago de Aguas Buenas,” an old wise curandero (quack) forewarns a small-town mayor about the terrible 1867 hurricane, an earthquake, and the rising revolution against Spain. After the events come true, the Spanish appointed governor decides to kill the wizard only to find that he has vanished. The small watercolor illustrations add very little to the stories; but the concise introduction to Puerto Rican folktales that starts every volume in this collection enhances the texts. Recommended for school and public libraries.

Order this title