ROGELIA'S HOUSE OF MAGIC

Rogelia's House of Magic

Mrs. V's Reviews

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Yesterday Rogelia's House of Magic by Jamie Martinez Wood came in the mail. I had been so excited to receive it that I set aside the other two books I was reading to get started on it. I read until I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer, and continued today to finish it. The three main character teen girls each have distinct personalities and dreams, but are linked together by magic and friendship. Under the guidance of Rogelia, a curandera, they learn magic and begin to overcome their individual obstacles and become better people by realizing the power within.

Xochitl is grieving the loss of her twin sister, and in the process has lost faith in magic. This is a theme that many people going through difficult times can relate to whether it is losing faith in magic, such as Xochitl, or losing faith in other core beliefs. Xochitl is not sure whether or not she can trust her new friends or if they are just using her because of their fascination with curanderismo that they can learn from her grandmother Rogelia. Xochitl's magical talent is the ability to disappear, but she has to learn that she should not use the talent to run away when faced with fears.

Fernanda, Fern, the self-proclaimed tree hugger is always busy working on watching out for Mother nature and the environment. Through most of the book she is working toward saving the Bolsa Chica wetlands from being developed. All the while she is trying to figure out how to interpret the auras that she is beginning to see, especially when it involves a cute boy Tristan.

While the other two live in the barrio, Marina's mother worked hard to move out of the barrio and does not hide her feelings against her Mexican roots. Marina struggles to understand her mom's perspective and sneaks around to reconnect with her Mexican heritage. Guiding her along the way to stand up to her mother and let her know her true feelings are two voices, one of which is in Spanish, the language that Marina never acquired as a result of her mother's disdain for the culture (even though her mom does tout her pride in her Spanish ancestry). It was fun to predict who the voices were.

Watching the girls navigate their new found powers was a fun adventure. I can see how many Latina girls familiar with curanderas will love this book as they will be able to connect to it, while teenagers from other cultures who may not necessarily have as much background knowledge will enjoy learning about this magical side of the culture.

As an extra bonus Martinez Wood has a fun site for teens where she currently has an essay contest with an August 29th deadline. Teens can analyze how each teen's clothing reenforces her characterization. I had read about this contest before reading the book, so it was in the back of my mind. It was fun to see how Martinez Wood carefully crafted clothing to create a more vivid picture of each character.

Also I just now read about how some high schoolers turned Rogelia's House of Magic into a play that will be available on YouTube in the near future.



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If you would like a press kit, please send request to maito:Jamie@jamiewood.com