Paola Santiago and the Sanctuary of Shadows (Paola Santiago Series #3)

by Tehlor Kay Mejia

Overview

Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents Tehlor Kay Mejia's third chilling ghost story based on Mexican folklore.

"Paola Santiago is a whip-smart Latina who dares to explore the shadows between folklore and middle-school friendship. A thrilling adventure."—Nina Moreno, author of Don't Date Rosa Santos

Paola Santiago has recently returned from Oregon, where she defeated the Hitchhiker ghost and saved her father from the vengeful spirit that was possessing him. The poor girl deserves a rest! But first she has to rescue Dante from the void, where he’s been imprisoned by some unknown force. Even though Dante has turned against Pao, she can’t just leave him there—they’ve been friends for too long.

Paola’s prophetic dreams seem to have dried up, so she has to find other ways to locate a new rift where she can enter the void. Signs point to Texas—but how is she going to get there from Arizona? It just so happens that Emma’s new group of politically active friends, the Rainbow Rogues, are planning a field trip to San Antonio. It’s the perfect ruse for Paola, if she can stand being with the judgmental girls for that many days. . . .

Relying on her wits, training from the Ninos de la Luz, and the emotional support of her best friend Emma, Pao makes it into the void. Once there she must face down not just one but two enemies: El Cucuy, the bogeyman . . . and someone even scarier who looks a lot like Pao herself.

Tehlor Kay Mejia's third exciting journey into Mexican folklore has our lovable, intrepid protagonist making discoveries both wondrous and fearsome. Presented by Rick Riordan, author of Percy Jackson, soon to be a series on Disney+.

Complete your middle grade fantasy collection with:

• Rick Riordan Presents: Paola Santiago and the River of Tears by Tehlor Kay Mejia
• Rick Riordan Presents: Paola Santiago and the Forest of Nightmares by Tehlor Kay Mejia
• Rick Riordan Presents: The Last Fallen Star by Graci Kim
• Rick Riordan Presents: City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda
• Rick Riordan Presents: Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781368076876
Publisher:	Disney Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/02/2022
Series:	Paola Santiago Series , #3
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	506,772
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.00(h) x 1.30(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Tehlor Kay Mejia is an Oregon native in love with the alpine meadows and evergreen forests of their home state, where they live with their daughter. Tehlor is the author of three middle grade titles about Paola Santiago: Paola Santiago and the River of Tears, Paola Santiago and the Forest of Nightmares, and Paola Santiago and the Sanctuary of Shadows. Their short fiction appears in the All Out and Toil & Trouble anthologies from Harlequin Teen and The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities from Rick Riordan Presents. Tehlor has also written two highly acclaimed YA novels, We Set the Dark on Fire and We Unleash the Merciless Storm. When they're not writing, you can find them plucking at the guitar, stealing rosemary sprigs from overgrown gardens, or trying to make the perfect vegan tamale. Follow Tehlor on Instagram @tehlorkay.

Editorial Reviews

2022-06-08
Paola battles the supernatural to save her friend in this follow-up to 2021’s Paola Santiago and the Forest of Nightmares.

Dante, one of Pao’s best friends, has been missing for 8 months: He’s trapped in the void, a place full of terrible creatures and dread, and she’s desperate to rescue him. But Mexican American Pao may be suffering from PTSD, and the adults in her life want her to stay home and play it safe. Frustrated, Pao and Emma, her other best friend, take matters into their own hands, brewing up a tea intended to restore Pao’s magical dreams of the void. It works—and Pao realizes she must travel to San Antonio, Texas, as soon as possible if she hopes to save Dante. To get there, she tags along with Emma’s new friends from the Rainbow Rogues, who are going on an environmental conservation volunteer trip to New Orleans. The bus journey from Arizona soon takes a dark turn, triggering a thrilling, fast-paced series of events that force Pao to confront El Cucuy, the lord of nightmares, and his apocalyptic plot as well as to learn to ask for help. While love is often depicted as the means to individually defeat evil, this story conveys a resonant message about the power of broader community support. As she battles monsters, Pao also privately explores her sexual identity and romantic feelings for Emma, who is queer.

A brave adventure with meaningful depth. (Fantasy. 8-13)

Kirkus Reviews

"While love is often depicted as the means to individually defeat evil, this story conveys a resonant message about the power of broader community support. As she battles monsters, Pao also privately explores her sexual identity and romantic feelings for Emma, who is queer. A brave adventure with meaningful depth."—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher