This a fun, accessible story recounted from the largely untapped Maya mythology-it follows a young hero with magical origins besting a giant snake with ancient spells, and overthrowing a tyrannical king with cleverness and help from his witch grandmother. Will appeal to fans of Rick Riordan Presents.
David Bowles' last middle grade novel with Cinco Puntos, They Call Me Güero, was wildly successful, demonstrating a hunger for Latinx #ownvoices middle grade books. Some of the honors Güero received:
Bluebonnet Award Masterlist
Pura Belpré Honor
Walter Dean Myers Honor Award for Outstanding Children's Literature (#weneeddiversebooks)
Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award
Claudia Lewis Award for Excellence in Poetry
TIL Best Middle Grade Book Award
Skipping Stones Award
Américas Book Award Commended Title
The stories for the Tales of the Feathered Serpent series, including Rise of the Halfling King, come from David's critically-acclaimed YA Feathered Serpent, Dark Heart of Sky. Recognition for this book:
TIL Best Young Adult Book Award (making David the only author to win a TIL award for both YA and MG books)
