| BASIC INFO | LANGUAGE LEVEL | COMPREHENSION-AIDING FEATURES |
|---|---|---|
| Book Title Las sombras Corre y no mires atrás (The Shadows Run and Don’t Look Back) Author(s) A.C. Quintero Illustrator(s) ProStudios, Viviana Moyano Other Contributors Published by Self published Genre Horror and Ghosts, Mystery and Adventures Publication date 2019 #Ownvoices N/A | Level From the author/publisher’s website 3+ Total Word Count No info | Illustrations YES Glossary YES Guiding Questions YES Context NO Other |
| IDENTITIES PRESENT IN THE TEXT | SYNOPSIS | |
|---|---|---|
| Races, Ethnicities, and Nationalities Black white Latinx (Based on illustrations and names) Languages spoken Spanish Sex and Genders Male Female Ages Teenager Adult Social classes Middle Class | Sexual Orientation Heterosexual Abilities Neurotypical Non-disabled Religions N/A Family Structures Homoparental Heteroparental Single parent Body Type Curvy Non-curvy | From the author/publisher’s website Andrés is throwing the party of the century! But, it is quickly upstaged by the weird, mysterious, and threatening events taking place in the forest surrounding his house. Dark clouds blanket the sky and an ominous atmosphere grips the town of Buena Vista. Secrets are peeled by back layer by layer, exposing sinister plots soaked in paranormal activity…and this is only the beginning. When a high school student is murdered and another disappears it’s no wonder the residents of Buena Vista are on edge! No one feels the anguish more than Andrés and his friends. Confused, helpless, and torn apart by betrayal, will they be able to look past their rivalries in order to solve the unfolding mysteries? The answers to their questions may be found in the trail of clues left behind, clues that will only be discovered if they work together and look hard enough. Las Sombras: Corre y No Mires Atrás is a page-turning, supernatural, thrill-seeking adventure that will entertain each reader and keep them begging for more! Spanish Level 3+ Less than 500 unique words (unique words are non-cognates such as madre, padre, casa, etc). |
| ILLUSTRATIONS | STORY | SOCIAL JUSTICE |
|---|---|---|
| To what extent do the illustrations present positive and thoughtful representations of identities? The illustrations demonstrate a variety of thoughtful and diverse representations of age, ethnic, and racialized identities. They help the reader understand the story’s plot with clarity. | We understand identities are complex and no single story represents the spectrum of identity-based experiences. Also, a text may address a stereotype, misrepresentation, or generalization without relying on it. Does any stereotype, misrepresentation, or generalization affect any positive and thoughtful representations of identities in the text? NO | This section is for teachers who are working towards sourcing more texts within the four domains of anti-bias education. We are excited about reading all books and we understand that not all books are written for this specific purpose. Does this text work toward goals within any of the four domains of anti-bias education as defined by Teaching Tolerance? NO |
| LLLAB’s REVIEW |
|---|
| La Sombras is a very engaging story about paranormal activity in the town of Buena Vista that captures the reader’s attention from beginning to end. It is a book that could be read by advanced level 3 students, or towards the end of level 3 and on. There is visible diversity in the illustrations and this helps the reader visualize the characters and follow the plot. The female characters are not portrayed stereotypically and have self agency: “La clases de karate le ayudaron en ese momento….” ‘‘Golpeó muy fuerte a la persona y le torció el brazo. Lo tenía atrapado en el piso cuando la persona le gritó” (p. 71). You can find suspense in every chapter and it makes it hard to stop reading. There is a sentence on p. 71 that might be confusing to the reader because it is grammatically incorrect: “Salomé le golpeó fuertemente la figura oscura que salió del armario.” This sentence should say: “ Salomé golpeó fuertemente a la figura oscura que salió del armario.” Finally, although the book is the last of a trilogy, it is not clear to the reader that the book is part of a series. It is not clear in the book what part is first, second, or third unless you look up the information online. |
LLLAB 