THE CURSED MOON

A boy tells one scary story too many and must find his way to a happy ending—or else.

Eleven-year-old Mexican American Rafael Fuentes loves writing horror stories. It comes easily to him despite his struggles in school because much of his life has been a different kind of scary story, one full of neglect and instability. For the past two years since their mom was sent to prison, Rafa and his younger sister, Brianna, have lived with their loving abuelos. But now Rafa is dreading his mom’s upcoming early release. One day, neighbor Ms. Martin warns Rafa that he should not, under any circumstances, tell a scary story during the upcoming blood moon. But Rafa’s storytelling has brought him social acceptance, so at his friends’ urging, he tells one of his most frightening tales yet. Soon after, strange, unsettling things start happening. Rafa thinks his spooky story has something to do with this, and he tries to craft a new, happy ending for his story. With the support of his friends and help from a magical jaguar, he faces down the evil threat. Featuring excellent pacing and seamlessly centering a diverse, well-drawn community, Cervantes’ latest deals with the complicated issues that arise from having an incarcerated parent and provides ample creep factor for young horror fans without ever losing sight of the fact that maintaining hope is key.

The power of words lies at the heart of this heartwarming story.