Alebrijes by Donna Barba Higuera (review)

Reviewed by: Alebrijes by Donna Barba Higuera April Spisak Higuera, Donna Barba Alebrijes; illus. by David Álvarez. Levine Querido, 2023 [416p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781646142637 $18.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9781646143382 $15.19 Reviewed from digital galleys R* Gr. 7-10 Four hundred years into a future, the Earth has been all but destroyed and humanity reduced to almost no one; thirteen-year-old Leandro has only ever known hardship as part of an oppressed group within the dystopian nightmare of this world. Legends of wyrms, monsters, and destroyed, desolate lands beyond the protective walls of Pocatel keep the Cascabel people choosing suffering and slavery inside rather than certain death outside. When Leandro's beloved younger sister cannot resist stealing a beautiful, rare strawberry that she could have never afforded, Leandro takes the blame himself, expecting banishment from Pocatel. Instead, Leandro is unexpectedly offered the chance to have his consciousness uploaded into a drone shaped like a hummingbird, with a mission to find the daughter of someone who has the power to let Leandro reunite with his sister should he succeed. Higuera brilliantly balances the heaviness of a dystopian future of a ruined Earth with her own blend of science fiction and Mexican folkloric elements once Leandro leaves his human body. Leandro is part of a centuries-long history of wanderers; he is certain that hiding behind a wall waiting to die is not a life worth living and that he can do better for his sister and his people by risking his own life to find something different. An arresting cover image and author familiarity after her multiple award wins (Lupe Wong Won't Dance, BCCB 9/20; The Last Cuentista) may be the elements that attract initial attention, but it is Leandro and his unflinching dedication to an uplifting view of humanity that will spark engagement from the first page and linger in the minds of readers well after they finish the novel. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois