Doña Quixote: Rise of the Knight by Rey Terciero (review)

Reviewed by: Doña Quixote: Rise of the Knight by Rey Terciero Meg Cornell Terciero, Rey Doña Quixote: Rise of the Knight; illus. by Monica M. Magaña. Holt, 2023 [240p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781250795472 $22.99 Paper ed. ISBN 9781250795526 $14.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9781250795489 $9.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 5-8 In this lively modern retelling of Cervantes' epic, middle grader Lucia Castillo has always wanted to be just like her late grandfather, a knight who helps the innocent and protects their Texan town from creatures like El Cucuy and El Chupacabra. Unfortunately, to everyone else, her grandfather was "Abuelo Loco," a man who dressed in a silly helmet and fought imaginary creatures only he could see. Lucia's [End Page 115] mother is ashamed of her grandfather's knightly calling, pressuring Lucia instead towards femininity, reality, and responsibility: "He was a joke . . . And you are not a joke, hija. You are mi estrellita, mi mariposita, mi futuro . . . " Rejecting her mother's vision of her and claiming her knighthood, Lucia retreats to the treehouse where she and her "squire," fellow misfit and ballerino Sandro, commiserate over their shared secret lives. It isn't that easy to live up to the "Knight Code," and in mockheroic fashion, whenever Lucia intercedes in a situation with her knightly bravado, comedic trouble ensues. However, when Lucia dons her abuelo's old helmet, it reveals the monsters of the town to her as it did for her abuelo—including the mayor, a shapeshifting creature of Mexican folklore, working to unleash supernatural evil. Seeing through Lucia's helmet, panels shimmer with starry light blue, and Magaña's digital art dynamically brings to life beloved Mesoamerican legends and celebrates the Mexican folk art of alebrijes animals. Sandro and Lucia's mutually supportive friendship, tested by the pressures of gender conformity and the supernatural alike, provides further grounding. Ever a tale for the unique, adventurous child learning where they fit in, Lucia's story offers humor and insight about the trouble of distinguishing one windmill from another in a blustery world. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois