Ortiz, Amparo. Saving Chupie. Illustrated by Ronnie Garcia. HarperAlley, 2023. 978-0-06-295028-4. 224 pp. $19.99. Gr. 3-7.

Violeta and her family have just touched down in Puerto Rico to spend the summer helping her grandmother (“Abuela”) re-open her restaurant, La Casita, post-Hurricane Maria. The adults have more than enough work to keep them busy, but they will not accept Violeta’s help. Frustrated, she longs to feel useful and a little less lonely. When Abuela learns from her butcher, Amanda, that their meat supplier’s animals have been viciously attacked, Violeta is more interested in the opportunity for a new friend in Amanda’s son, Diego. Diego soon reveals that he suspects “El Chupacabra” is behind the attacks, but Violeta knows that monsters aren’t real. At least, she thinks they aren’t real … until she finds a baby “Chupie” in the woods while on chupacabra patrol with Diego and his friend, Lorena. When Chupie saves her from a trap, Violeta realizes that he is not a fearsome beast but just a youngster in need of protection. She secretly hides Chupie in her Abuela’s shed, but not everyone agrees with her decision to shelter a cryptid. Can Violeta and her new friends come together to save Chupie from a bigger danger than chupacabras? Author Amparo Ortiz has created a stand-out middle grade graphic novel that blends the fantastical with the all-too-real. Artist Ronnie Garcia colorfully depicts the Puerto Rican setting through lush greens and sparkling blues. And of course, winsome Chupie (and his adorable underbite) are the star of the show!

THOUGHTS: Themes of family, friendship, and bravery ground this exciting tale of magical creatures!

Graphic Novel