Read more
"Guillermo 'Memo' Castillo and Theo Chang have been best friends since they were in kindergarten, and now they're partners in Sorcery, too--the mega-popular collectible card game, that is. Memo and Theo are excited to attend the upcoming science fiction & fantasy fan convention not far from Peppermint Falls. They plan to dress up in costumes, play in their first-ever Sorcery competition, defeat that arrogant fifth grader Josh Harkan in the tournament, and have an awesome day. But Memo's dad can't drive them to the convention. His mom can't, either. Theo's family is out as well. That leaves just one option: Memo's fearsome abuela"--
About the author
William Alexander won the National Book Award for his debut novel, Goblin Secrets, as well as the Earphones Award for his narration of the audiobook. Other honors include the Eleanor Cameron Award, two Junior Library Guild Selections, a Mythopoetic Award finalist, an International Latino Book Award finalist, and a Cybils Award finalist. Like the protagonist of his books Nomad and Ambassador, William is the son of a Latino immigrant to the US. He teaches in the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults and lives in Vermont. Visit him online at WillAlex.net.
Kat Fajardo (they/she) received a Pura Belpré Honor for Illustration for their first graphic novel, Miss Quinces (published in Spanish as Srta. Quinces). Born and raised in New York City, Kat now lives in Austin, Texas, with their pups, Mac and Roni. They invite you to visit them at katfajardo.com.
Summary
Meet the kids in Mrs. Z’s wacky and wonderful third-grade class! Memo Castillo can’t wait for his first-ever MagiCon fan convention, but his plans are on the verge of collapse unless he can find a ride—fast!
Guillermo "Memo" Castillo and Theo Chang can’t wait to attend the local MagiCon convention. They’ll dress up in costumes, play in their first-ever Sorcery competition, defeat that snotty fifth grader Josh Harkan, and have an awesome day.
But Memo's dad can't drive them to the convention. His mom can't either. Theo's family is out as well. Memo has to figure out a new plan for their epic journey before it’s too late!
He turns to Lala, his fearsome abuela. Lala doesn't speak English, though, and Memo doesn't speak Spanish. When Lala unexpectedly agrees to take Memo and Theo to the convention, it opens up a whole new set of adventures and challenges—along with a kind of magic that Memo never expected.
Both sweetly poignant and laugh-out-loud funny, with black-and-white illustrations by Pura Belpré Honor artist Kat Fajardo, Memo’s story invites readers into Mrs. Z’s class where friendship and fun rule the school, from National Book Award winner William Alexander.
Perfect for!
★ My Weirdtastic School fans
★ Reluctant readers
★ Classroom read-alouds
★ Andrew Clements fans
★ Multilingual families
★ D&D players
★ Grandparents Day
Read them all! The Kids in Mrs. Z’s Class have plenty of stories to share!
Emma McKenna, Full out (#1)
Rohan Murthy Has a Plan (#2)
Poppy Song Bakes a Way (#3)
Wyatt Hill Brings a Lizard to School (#5)
Ayana Ndoum Takes the Stage (#6)
Olive Little Gets Crafty (#7) — available for preorder now!
Synclaire Fields Knows the Score (#8) — available for preorder now!
Theo Chang is Not a Cat (#9) — available for preorder now!
Thunder Nelson Does the Impossumble (#10) — available for preorder now!
*The Kids in Mrs. Z’s Class is an innovative series where every book is written by a different all-star author and features a different kid in the same third-grade class. They can be read in any order!
