ChupaCarter
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
With his signature laugh-out-loud humor, world-famous comedian George Lopez launches a magical series inspired by his own colorful childhood and Latinx folklore.
In this illustrated contemporary fantasy, twelve-year-old Jorge is lonely and resentful after being sent to live with his grandparents. His first day at his new school doesn’t go well after catching the attention of his belligerent principal and the school bullies, so Jorge might be a little desperate for a friend.
But the only kid who shares his interest in junk food and games turns out to be a young chupacabra—a legendary monster whose kind is known for being bloodthirsty livestock killers. The truth is, Carter is anything but savage—he's kind, a good listener, and has great taste in sneakers. Being friends with a mythical creature should be amazing, but when local cattle turn up dead and his principal suspects the truth, Jorge is torn. Should he trust that his friend is innocent and protect him from exposure, or reveal his dangerous existence and change the world forever?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
After getting into trouble one too many times, sarcastic ("Your smart mouth just bought you a one-way ticket to detention," his previous principal used to say) Chicano Jorge Lopez, 12, is sent to live with his abuelos in a "dusty, deserted, desert-y armpit of a town in the middle of Nowheresville, New Mexico." He doesn't love anything about his new life, especially not his "snooty-falooty private school" or his white, bombastic, hunting-enthusiast principal, until he befriends woods-dwelling chupacabra Carter, a blood-drinking humanoid creature. Carter has been hiding from mortal hunters and folkloric vampire dogs after being separated from his family, and Jorge promises to keep him safe. But as the hunters close in on the duo, Jorge enlists two of his classmates—Star Trek fan Ernie, who is Native American, and Black, vegan, "uber smart" Liza—to get Carter to safety. Gutierrez's (The Garden Plot) lively b&w illustrations expertly render Jorge and Carter's occasionally over-the-top, adrenaline-filled adventures. Actor/comedian Lopez and Calejo (the Charlie Hernández series) offer a rollicking tale brimming with Latinx folklore and culture about finding one's home in the unlikeliest of places that never takes itself too seriously. Ages 8–12.
