Mari and the Curse of El Cocodrilo: A Great Fall and Halloween Read for Kids

by Adrianna Cuevas

From Pura Belpré Honor – winning author Adrianna Cuevas comes Mari and the Curse of El Cocodrilo, a new middle grade novel about a young Cuban American girl who must fight to break a curse of bad luck set upon her by El Cocodrilo when she rejects her family’s traditions. If Mari Feijoo could, she would turn her family’s Peak Cubanity down a notch, just enough so that her snooping neighbor and classmate Mykenzye wouldn’t have anything to tease her about. That’s why this year, there’s no way that Mari’s joining in on one of the big-gest Feijoo family traditions—burning the New Year’s Eve effigy her abuela makes. Only Mari never suspects that failing to toss her effigy in the fire would bring something much worse than sneering words at a curse of bad luck from El Cocodrilo. At first, it’s just possessed violins and grade sabotaging pencils, but once El Cocodrilo learns that he becomes more powerful with each new misery, her luck goes from bad to nightmarish as the curse spreads to her friend Keisha. Instead of focusing on Mari’s mariachi band tryout and Keisha’s fencing tournament, the pair, along with their friend Juan Carlos, are racing against the clock to break the curse. But when Mari discovers her family’s gift to call upon their ancestors, she and her friends will have to find a way to work with the unexpected help that arrives from the far corners of Mari’s family tree. Only will it be enough to defeat El Cocodrilo before he makes their last year of elementary school the worst ever and tears their friendship apart? 

Genres: Middle Grade, Horror, Fantasy, Audiobook

256 pages, Hardcover

First published October 3, 2023

About the author

Adrianna Cuevas is a first-generation Cuban-American originally from Miami, Florida. A Spanish, ESOL and TOEFL teacher, Adrianna currently resides in Austin, Texas with her husband and son. When not working with TOEFL students, wrangling multiple pets including an axolotl, and practicing fencing with her son, she is writing her next middle grade novel.

Reviews

[Zoraida · Rating 5 out of 5]

A true delight. Themes of family, embracing culture, and ancestors + ghosts = everything I love.

[Robin Pelletier · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the uptick in middle grade mythology from all over the world. This is the first Cuban culture/mythology that I have had the pleasure of reading and I LOVED it. If you want a wild misadventure that is riddled with bad luck, this is the novel for you! If you liked A Series of Unfortunate Events, this is a novel for you for sure.

Mari is tired of defending her Cuban culture to the bullies at school. But no one at school is a bigger bully than her own neighbor McKenzie. When Mari sees McKenzie about to record her family's tradition of burning effigies at midnight on New Years, Mari would rather chock on 12 grapes that be caught on camera. Mari pockets her effigy and things start to get twisted from there. Can Mari team up with her friends and family to learn more about her family' magic and defeat the curse of el cocodrilo or will she be subject to bad luck the rest of her life?

What I loved most: the use of Spanish - Mari speaks English back when her family speaks Spanish to her. It's a super well balanced Spanish inclusive text. Mari is an angsty teen and I can appreciate that in a protagonist. The culture and folklore in this story mixed with historical events and based off real tragedies. For example, one of Mari's ancestors drowned trying to get from Cuba to the United States. Generational voices are heard in this novel and I love and appreciate it!

[Sirah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mari would so rather be spending her New Year's playing video games with her friends rather than participating in tired Cuban traditions with her family. Sure enough, her nosy neighbor and classmate is watching as her abuelos burn effigies, and when it's Mari's turn, she can't bring herself to participate, knowing that if she does, a video of her peak Cubanity will circulate on the school social media. But That turns out to be a mistake because when she doesn't burn the effigy, Mari unwittingly releases El Cocodrillo, a malevolent spirit intent on bringing bad luck to everyone he touches. Mari must seek out her family history and traditions, risking being seen as very Cuban, if she doesn't want to spend the rest of her life with the worst luck possible.

Mari is the least superstitious book character I've ever read about. Most protagonists, upon seeing magical realism, shake their heads and try to convince themselves it can't possibly be real. Mari goes through no such phase and instead simply knows it can't be real. Until it is. That felt weird to me and threw off a lot of the first half of the book, but I can appreciate the other elements, including friendships breaking under the strain of so much bad luck, family being overprotective and embarrassing, Mari learning how to define a microaggression, and a really cool magic system. This wasn't a perfect read for me, but it was fun and thought-provoking.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Karah Sutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Adrianna Cuevas's ability to balance humor, antics, heartfelt family dynamics, and spooky thrills. She's one of the more laugh-out-loud MG fantasy authors writing today, and is my go-to recommendation for reluctant readers.

[Library_book_witch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! And the food! Omg now I need Pastillos with guava and cheese!

[TheNextGenLibrarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

“What the frijoles?”
🐊
Mari Feijoo is all for celebrating the New Year; she just wish her Cuban family wouldn’t do it so loudly. In an act of rebellion against her family’s tradition, Mari doesn’t burn the effigy her abuela makes for the new year. Instead she hides it away and this is marked with the curse of El Cocodrilo. Bad luck now follows Mari around and she can’t seem to shake it, even with the help of her friend Juan Carlos and Keisha. It’s not until Mari learns more about her heritage, ancestors and Cuban culture can she begin to heal and love herself.
🐊
For those who don’t know this is an @adriannacuevas stan account now and forever. Her latest MG book reminded me a lot of her first release The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez, which I loved. Fans of the Charlie Hernandez series will enjoy this one as well. However the reason I loved it the most is because you could see Adriana on every page. From Mari’s love of hockey to the fencing elements to the Cuban traditions and history, this novel seemed to be a very personal homage to Adriana’s upbringing and her family’s Cuban lineage. But like Mari, Adriana is so much more than just where her family is from. She also makes sure to include the things she loves that kids love as well: gross bugs & animals, a spooky story and a strong female lead that I adored. The inclusion of Spanish in this book is also going to be a big hit with my students. This title releases October 3. Preorder now!

CW: bugs/insects/snakes, etc., microaggressions, racism, violence, bullying

[Trisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mari has decided this year she is not going to do the burning of the effigy her Abuela makes for her at new year’s. She is tired of being teased for her Cuban decent and ways. But when she doesn’t burn her effigy she and her friends start having bad luck, really bad luck. So, the clock is ticking for the friends to break the curse but Mari learns of a special gift some in her family posses as does she of being able to call on her ancestors, but can they help Mari fight of the curse of El Cocodrilo before Mari loses everything including her friends.
This was a fun book to listen to I really liked the characters a lot. I also love learning about different places and their lore, ceremonies and ways of life through these books. This one will be good for reluctant readers as well but does have some Spanish words mixed in. I hope we see Mari and her friends again.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a cute and much-needed story. Mari, whose full name is Maricela, is being harassed by a classmate and next-door neighbor who keeps shaming her for being Cuban-American. The microaggressions have affected Mari so much that when her family is performing their New Year ritual of burning effigies to eliminate bad luck, Mari holds back and never burns her.

What follows is El Cocodrilo hanging her with bad luck to the point where it affects her school and her friendships. In order to combat El Cocodrilo, Mari needs to come to terms with her cultural identity and her family history. While at the same time fix the tension within her friend group.

At first, I was a bit put off by Mari feeling embarrassed of her cultural traditions, but I also realized that when we are kids, it is so easy for people to make us feel ashamed. Part of maturing means learning how to deal with those who will try to shame us, and that is part of the journey that Mari is on. Ultimately, it is a wonderful story about love, family, and friendship.

Content Warnings: racism, curses, discussions of death, off-the-page family death

I received a free advance reader's copy via NetGalley.

[SS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mari doesn’t always love the “peak Cubanity” of her family. Sure, the food is good, and she likes the music, but sometimes there are traditions that are weird, and even embarrassing. One of them is burning effigies in the New Year, to make sure that all the bad luck is burned away. But when Mari doesn’t burn hers out of embarrassment, she finds that some traditions exist for a reason.

Now, she is cursed with bad luck, and it’s only getting worse. Mari needs to find a way to get rid of this luck before it spreads, while also discovering how exactly this curse is connected to her family.

I received an advanced reading copy of Mari and the Curse of El Cocodrilo in exchange for an honest review. To read my full review, visit my blog here: https://stephsstoryspace.wordpress.co...

[Christine LaBatt · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 ⭐
Mari often is annoyed by her family's "Peak Cubanity" as she calls it, so she doesn't think burning her effigy at New Years is important. However, soon she is plagued by bad luck. Things get worse when her friend Keisha is also affected by the curse. Soon, Mari learns she can call on her ancestors' spirits, and they tell her about El Cocodrilo. Mari, her friends, and family must work together to end the curse.

What I loved about this book was the Cuban heritage and culture. I learned so much and it was so interesting. That being said, I think it took too long to get to the action in this book. Especially for a middle grades book, it felt very slow for a while. Then a lot of the bad luck felt repetitive.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mari loves her family, but sometimes she finds their displays of “peak Cubanity” to be too much to take. When she decides she won’t partake in one of her family’s New Year traditions, she finds herself cursed by the evil spirit El Cocodrilo. As Mari’s bad luck grows, she will need the help of her best friends and her family members, both from the past and the present, to defeat El Cocodrilo and make her world right again. Middle grade fantasy fans will love the mix of entertaining humor, Cuban folklore, and creepy critters that are part of Mari’s battle with El Cocodrilo and her journey to embrace her family’s culture and traditions.

[Jennybeast · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full of the kind of creepy crawly gross terror that besets horror films, and some great characters learning about Mari and her beautiful Cuban heritage. Loved the friendship of the Super Ojos, the stories Mari hears about and from her ancestors, learning more about Cuba, and the underlying messages about being proud of your heritage despite microaggressions and the embarrassment of feeling different. I felt like it dragged a bit in the middle, when I wondered when Mari was finally going to get on with talking to her family. I also felt like the friendship with Keisha was weirdly up and down. Definitely entertaining for the intended audience.

[Kristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a beautiful story about a girl learning to not be ashamed of who her family is and where they come from.

Something people will probably either love or hate is that Mari's grandparents speak almost exclusively in Spanish. Mari often summarizes what they said in English, but not always. I think it's a unique way of communicating that I have not encountered often.

CW: brief video game violence and gore, racist microaggressions, war, blood, death in war and by drowning, mentions of imprisonment, a whole lotta insects

[Bozhena Levine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you HarperCollins, Harper Audio, and NetGalley for the advanced electronic audio review copy of this wonderful book. I really enjoyed this fabulous story based on Cuban mythology. I am so happy to see more mythology books becoming available not just to the YA, but also to the middle grade readers. The book focuses on family, culture, traditions, and learning who you are as part of the family’s culture and traditions. A fun read I definitely recommend!

[Rae the Reviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved every minute of this story and the audiobook elevated it to another level. It was really nice to see Mari learn about the family she hadn’t met before. I absolutely love the ghost element and everything tied together beautifully. I was in tears by the end.

[Daphne Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've enjoyed every book by Adrianna Cuevas, but this is my favorite of them all. It's atmospheric, spooky, and funny -- par for the course -- but the mystery elements worked especially well for me in Mari and the Curse of El Cocodrilo.

[Ami Schroder · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a great middle grade book that will hook students with the curse and the results of the curse. It also has a message without being too treacle.

[Robin Wasley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Peak Cubanity in this! The emphasis on family (past and current) and embracing your heritage gave me all the feels in this heartwarming, but also spooky and funny adventure.

[Mrs Heidrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up to 5

[Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I buddy read with my niece and we enjoyed it. Love seeing Latinx and Cuban culture & history representation in novels 👏

[Ms. Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

We had the opportunity to have Adrianna speak with our students and she definitely made a lasting impression. This was the first book I've read of hers, and I'm excited to read more!

[Johanny Ortega · Rating 5 out of 5]

Embracing Cultural Identity: A Heartwarming Journey in "Mari and The Curse of El Cocodrilo" by Adrianna Cuevas

Rating: 5/5 Stars

In "Mari and The Curse of El Cocodrilo" by Adrianna Cuevas, I discovered another vital read that resonated deeply with me, much like "Starfish" by Lisa Fipps. This book carries an important message of acceptance at its core, but while "Starfish" focuses on body acceptance, Cuevas' novel shines a light on accepting one's culture and background. And let me tell you, I am here for it!
As an immigrant child who struggled with unsuccessful attempts to assimilate into the United States, I am incredibly grateful that this book exists. It allows children and adults alike to examine any lingering shame they may carry about their cultural differences and embrace their uniqueness. It beautifully emphasizes the idea that our diverse backgrounds are what make us special.
I can't help but wish that "Mari and The Curse of El Cocodrilo" had been written when I was younger. However, dwelling on the past serves no purpose. I am thrilled that it is now available for the younger generation. This story is a gift to readers of all ages, regardless of whether they identify as Latinx. Its universal themes and heartfelt narrative have the power to touch every heart and remind us of the importance of celebrating our roots.
I implore you to read this book. It will enchant you with its captivating storyline and inspire personal growth and empathy. Cuevas' masterful storytelling will expand your heart by at least two centimeters, leaving you with a renewed appreciation for the power of acceptance and the beauty of embracing one's identity. And, as an added bonus, it might just help protect you from any lurking Cocodrilo curses!
Take advantage of this heartwarming journey of self-discovery and cultural acceptance. "Mari and The Curse of El Cocodrilo" is a must-read for everyone seeking a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them.

PS: I have so much more to say about this book. I saw great examples of resiliency for young people and lessons on microaggression and how to deal with them that I will post more on Threads and TikTok.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Mari loves her extended Cuban family, but they can be embarassing at times, like on New Year's Eve. It's bad enough that her microaggressive nemesis "Mocosa" (snot-nosed) Mykenzye sees her grandparents putting a pig into a hole in the ground to roast and posts a picture of them on Instagram, suggesting they are burying a body. Sometimes the family shifts into "peak Cubanity", like burning effigy dolls to get rid of all of the bad luck of the year. Mari doesn't burn hers, and finds that some strange things start happening to her. It is also tradition in her family to give children a journal when they turn twelve, and Mari has taken hers and written down some information about relatives from the past who were mentioned byt grandparents but NOT talked about. The first of these, Andaluz, was her grandmother's sister who drowned trying to get to the US from Cuba. She appears at school right after both Mari and her best friend Kiesha have odd marks on their arms in the shape of crocodiles. It turns out that Mari's writing can summon family ghosts, which is not great, considering that she has mariachi tryouts coming up and Keisha is involved in some fencing matches. The family ghosts, who also included her grandfather's brother who found against Castro, Pipo, and her grandmother's mother, Fautina. These are all fairly benign spirits, but El Cocodrilo is NOT. He is the one responsible for the mark on Mari's arm, and is angry because he didn't get to feed on the misfortunes put into the effigy, since Mari didn't burn it. Instead, he decides to get his power from Mari's fear and misery. Will Mari be able to come to terms with her heritage and send El Cocodrilo on his way?
Strengths: This was a little different from the standard fantasy novel, and didn't really involve a quest, and didn't slip into an entire fantasy world. Mari has the odd things happen in her world, and has to figure out family history in order to deal with El Cocodrilo. I enjoyed meeting most of the relatives, and thought it was valuable for Mari to learn her family history, even though her grandparents are sad about most of it, which is why it is not discussed much. There's enough grounding in the school and home setting, making it much easier for students who aren't huge fantasy fans to enjoy this. Most middle school students are embarassed by their families in some way, so this will resonate.
Weaknesses: While I completely understand why there is a good deal of the grandparents' dialogue in Spanish, since the author has a note about the fact that her grandparents spoke to her in Spanish but she spoke to them in English, it still slowed me down when I had to look up sentences to understand what was happening. My students who don't speak Spanish would benefit from translations in footnotes, because they may not go to the trouble of figuring out what the sentences day. Also, the cover is not appealing.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed the inherited family magic of Meriano's A Dash of Trouble or Badua's Freddie and the Family Curse, or who enjoyed this author's The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez.

[Chari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mari and the Curse of El Cocodrilo introduces us to Mari who is both proud of her cultural heritage and completely embarrassed by some of the rituals that are part of her "Cubanity." Mari is being bullied by the next door neighbor - a girl in her class at school.. So when Mari decides to skip one of those New Yearś Eve rituals by refusing to burn the effigy her grandmother made for her, she becomes cursed by El Cocodrilo. Throughout the book Mari comes to terms with being proud of her Cubanity and her family and realizes that her cultural heritage is an important part of her life. Thanks to Netgalley for giving me an advance copy to review.
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[Therearenobadbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hay que echar fuera la mala suerte. You have to throw out your bad luck. Wouldn't that be awesome?
I love novels with dialogue in their native language. This Cuban family is surrounded by folklore, and eerie mythology, Fun! Mari is cursed.

Mari starts as someone ashamed of her family, their rituals, and Cuban love, but on her journey, she will learn to respect her ancestors and their learning the good and bad about her family's past. She gets a journal as a gift during one of the many traditional rituals during New Year and discovers that she has inherited a power that has been in the family for generations. This will unlock good and bad things. Because she was ashamed of getting caught in these traditions she failed to keep her bad luck away by burning a doll, now her luck is running out and affects the people she cares for. On top of that, her curse passed to her best friend as well. Will their friendship survive this? Will Mari vanquish the Luck Eater?

A fun read, great for the Spooky season with a lot of folklore, friendship, family, personal growth, and acceptance giving life to the past with memories.
Por si las moscas! Just in case... you don't know what to read next. This is a good one.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the Arc. My opinions are my own and honest.

[Adriana · Rating 4 out of 5]

MARI AND THE CURSE OF EL COCODRILO introduces us to Mari who is simultaneously proud of her heritage and completely embarrassed by some of the rituals that are part of her "Cubanity." When she decides to skip one of those end-of-year rituals, creepy chaos ensues! Will Mari be able to shake off this curse before her nasty neighbor humiliates her or will the shady cocodrilo do her in first?

Deeper than you probably expect, this one is chock full of cucarachas, flies and maggots but below the bugs is a story about being proud of who you are and where you come from.

Merged review:

So creepy! MARI AND THE CURSE OF EL COCODRILO introduces us to Mari who is simultaneously proud of her heritage and completely embarrassed by some of the rituals that are part of her "Cubanity." Which I think is a hilarious phrase! As in "oh the Cubanity!"

When Mari decides to skip one of those end-of-year rituals, creepy chaos ensues! Will Mari be able to shake off this curse before her nasty neighbor outs her and it ruins her life?

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a little while to really get invested in this book. I thought maybe I was too old to really enjoy this story, but then things quickly changed and I became engrossed in the book and eager to find out what happens next.

What starts as some lighthearted scares affecting the main character, slowly get more sinister as the book goes on, while still staying age appropriate for the target audience. I think this would be a great introduction for adolescents to more suspenseful stories.

It was also refreshing to focus on a cast of characters from Cuba, something you don’t see in media very often. I loved the glimpses into Cuban history and traditions and I really enjoyed the message of learning from and accepting your family’s history.

Overall a fun read and worth sticking with it to the end.

[DJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Mari and the Curse of El Cocodrilo is a great middle grade read. It's full of family, action and fun. Mari wished her Cuban family would tone down their celebrations. She decides not to burn her effigy that her abuela makes for the new year and as a result she is cursed. She cursed with El Cocodrilo's mark and bad luck follows Mari everywhere. She has to learn about her family and learned to love them for who they are that she can break the curse. I loved this one! It was such a fun read.

[Amanda Rawson Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Mari doesn't fulfill a Cuban New Years Eve tradition out of embarrassment, she unwittingly brings El Cocidrilo and a bad luck curse into her life. She also discovers she can call forth dead relatives by writing about them. Together, with her ancestors and best friends, Mari means how to embrace her peak Cubanity.

I loved this. It was just a little creepy while also having a lovely family centric message.

[Can Dragons Read? · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so heartwarming and fun! I loved the "supernatural" aspect of the multigenerational ghosts, Mari being cursed after not following a family tradition, and then realizing her family is the best and there's nothing to be embarrassed about. It's a adventurous and fun story to help kids be proud of their heritage and that's amazing.