Maximilian & the Mystery of the Guardian Angel (Max's Lucha Libre Adventures #1)

I wish that I would have had books like this when I was in middle school. Getting to read about luchadors and seeing Spanish alongside English would have been such a boon as I grew up.The story feels very grounded in away that some of the fiction intended for this age group isn't. That doesn't mean that fun adventures don't happen, but it might allow some young readers that aren't imbued with magical gifts to see that exciting things might be waiting for them within the world they live in.Maximilian provides a good cipher for those finding their way into Latino culture and Lucha Libre. He shares the love that fans have, and his family shares even more perspective. I can hear my uncles rooting for the rudos now, partly knowing with age that they are enjoying the drama of it rather than needing the tecnico to win.Definitely a good series to get start.Also, as a fan of Lucha Libre, it was nice to see it through the eyes of another fan while not ignoring its realities.

Our family loves all the titles by Xavier Garza and we appreciate the fact that they are in a bilingual format to accommodate our family's bilingual communication style. Can't wait for my son to be able to read the other titles on his own some day. I am a great admirer of Xavier Garza and his artistic and story-retelling talent. He is quite an inspiration to young Latino boys like my son.

The following review originally appeared in the July 5, 2012, edition of The Monitor.Last week the Pura Belpré Medal (named for the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library) was officially awarded by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC). This award is given annually to a Latino/a writer and illustrator whose work best reflects the Latino experience in a young adult or children’s literature. One of the books recognized by the ALSC was Xavier Garza’s Maximilian & the Mystery of the Guardian Angel, a bilingual Lucha Libre thriller. Garza, originally from Rio Grande City, is an artist, teacher and storyteller whose many works brilliantly capture the intersection of mythic and everyday along the border.Maximilian is a 12-year-old fan of Mexican wrestling. His biggest hero is the Guardian Angel, a Santo analogue who has been wrestling and making movies for four decades. Max’s family is pure Valley: an extended network of siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles whose love for one another is balanced by their often explosive personalities. The book centers on the relationship between Max and his uncle Lalo, who indulges the boy’s love of wrestling more than his mother wants. When Max finally gets to see his idol in action, a series of events unfurl that reveal the wrestler to be a member of the family (I won’t mention his identity). This revelation leads several characters to evolve in unexpected ways, and by the end the reader understands how Lucha Libre—an art form that requires wrestlers to bond and work as partners to inspire the crowd—can also bring families and communities together. Also sweetly poignant is the sub-plot about Maximilian’s crush on hazel-eyed Cecilia (whose affection he wins in a great scene). Lalo’s crazed ex-girlfriend “completa el cuadro,” as we say, leaving the reader with a rounded, warts-and-all portrait of a true-to-life family.Garza’s masterful illustrations and the many well-written action scenes make this a must-read for middle-grade boys. The translation by Luis Humberto Crosthwaite and Carla González Campos manages perfectly to capture the breathless feel of the original. Reading the book, I was reminded of another seminal title, one that influenced Xavier Garza and many other local writers (including me): Stories That Must Not Die by Juan Sauvageau, a collection of bilingual border tales that has captured the imagination of struggling young readers throughout our state for 35 years.

I received a copy of this book in a box of over thirty other books for young adults at a workshop at a recent meeting of the National Council of Teachers of English. For the next two days, I heard none of the other authors who were speaking because I was completely engrossed in the Spanish pages of Garza's delightful tale of a young boy whose dreams about lucha libre and masked wrestlers come true. I was very thankful for the facing English and Spanish pages that allowed quick translation of colloquial Spanish idioms with colloquial English idioms--and vice versa. Great story telling! Interesting characters! Well worth the price and the time!Arthur Wayne GlowkaAuthor of The Texiad: An Epic of the Texas Revolution

My 7 year old girl enjoyed this book. and she isn't into wrestling or lucha libre. It is well written and a fun and surprising read!

A great book that boys will love! Maximilian's summer vacation turns into an action packed adventure when he finds out that his great uncle is secretly the greatest masked wrestler in the world. Maximilian and the mystery of the Guardian Angel is an action packed book that will draw even the most reluctant of readers into its pages.