La Calaca Alegre

by Carrie Toth

Does Carlos really suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, or are his strange sensations and life-like nightmares much more real than anyone, including Carlos, believes? Determined to solve the mystery of his mother’s disappearance, Carlos decides to return to Chicago to face his fears and find his mother, even if it means living out his nightmares in real life. As he uncovers the mystery, he discovers the truth is much more complex and evil than he ever imagined.

Genres: School, Read For School, Spanish Literature

108 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Eric Castro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me gusto este libro much porque enseña una historia de una niño que quiso su mamá tanto que cuando ya no estaba no lo puedo entenderlo en su mente. Enseña como el amor para su mamá lo destruyó todo lo que pensaba que era verdad. Este libro tiene muchas emociones y eventos que te enteran en la historia. Yo recomiendo este libro porque te enseña las emociones que te ocurren cuando pierdes alguien.

[Alexa Lamberto · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mí me encantaba el libro. Era muy interesante y también era diferente. Los libros normalmente son felices y a veces terminen muy triste. Pero el libro empezó muy triste y terminó bien. Me gustaba que al final encontró Carlos su paz que no haz tenido por diez años.

[AmyQuijada · Rating 4 out of 5]

¡La Calaca Alegre fue un libro muy interesante! Siempre habian muchas cosas pasando y la historia fue escrito bien. Si me iso muy intersante y triste que el papá fue el matador del madre de Carlos. Yo sí recomendariá este libro.

[Karime Serrano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me gusto este libro. Fue muy enervante y hubo mucho suspenso en la historia. Le daría cinco estrellas pero el vocabulario del libro fue muy fácil para mí.

[Natán Berhe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este libro es muy divertido porque es sobre cosas de familia y encontrando la verdad. El principal persona era muy atrevido. El tenia que saber que paso a su mama y no dejaria el sujectivo sola. Es importante ser como este y aprendi mucho.

[Michael Vidrine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este es un libro realmente bueno para principiantes en español, sin ser muy infantil. El uso de la repetición y el glosario hacen que la historia sea muy fácil de leer y proporciona una buena manera de familiarizarse con la gramática española.

[Sophia · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I went into this after reading Bianca y los siete toritos, which was a literary masterpiece. I just don’t think I can compare the two and that really affected the rating I’m giving this…

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone in year 4 Spanish, I felt that this book was rather easy to comprehend, and would say this really does help with understanding grammar! As for the actual plot line, I would say it was lacking in excitement. It began with a smack of all the bad things that ever happened to Carlos, and then suddenly we were at the restaurant with very little explanation. We saw him break into the restaurant, rather repeatedly, and then suddenly there is a man with a gun and his uncle has been shot! Just when things begin to get interesting, we're sent back to the therapist's office and now we're getting a recap rather than an active story. Disappointing.

My only other complaint is Carlos' visions/hallucinations. The book led to the idea that his hallucinations were actually real, future-seeking visions, but then at the end it affirmed that to not be true! Instead, Carlos has not been taking his meds and not listening to his therapist, making his PTSD worse, and therefore creating traumatic distress moments. But in the end, they're like, "but maybe his mom was just paying him a visit????" No, she wasn't, she's dead.

In the end, if you're looking for an easy book to begin reading in Spanish, this book is good. Otherwise, the plot and actual story is not interesting. I guess you just have to ask yourself why you're reading.

If this is blunt, sorry, I don't like to sugarcoat reviews.

[Johannie K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

La Calaca Alegre was an interesting read. When I first looked at it, I thought it was going to be more fantastical with its plot, but it actually turned to be grounded in a more realistic setting. I went into this novel still not very used to reading Spanish (about three years of Spanish classes) and I saw a number of terms that I didn’t know, so I had to use the glossary a number of times to help understand. While I found La Calaca Alegre to be a good book, I wouldn’t recommend it for right away for someone not used to reading books purely in Spanish, but rather someone who is a bit more used to doing so.

[Alex Lloyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was... interesting. It was a lot better than I thought it was going to be, considering most of my Spanish reading material isn't very good, but that may be because it had a higher selection of words it could choose from. However, I'm bumping it down to three stars because my reading level wasn't quite high enough, so I couldn't really understand some of it. Also, the artwork wasn't very good, though it was sometimes hilariously so, like when Carlos pushed a man. Basically, better than I thought it would be, but still a bit too advanced for me yet.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written for a 2nd year HS Spanish class under an educator imprint, this was actually an engaging mystery. Is Carlos mentally ill, suffering PTSD hallucinations after his mother inexplicably disappears? Or is what he cannot escape supernatural? Negative attitudes about therapists aside, Carlos attains closure in Pilsen in Chicago where story is set.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better "readers" that I have encountered in my study of Spanish. The subject of PTSD as it applies to a young person made for an interesting background to this Level 3 mystery story. The glossaries are quite good.

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - Took me a few attempts to get into the story but loved the suspense. I also appreciated that much of it read as an intriguing story, rather than an educational slog like some other readers. That said, the ending felt abrupt.

[Tysenmontgomery4 · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is boring

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much action! Loved this book!

[nanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty interesting short book.

[Jane Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was forced to read this in Spanish class, and it was pretty good! Plot twist

[emma foith · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5-3.75 i wish this book had more pages to it because this story needs elaboration

[Taylor Gray]

La Calaca Alegre is a book that I chose to read in my Spanish class as my final project. Well, it's only a select few within the class who were able to be apart of the "book club" and we ALL chose the same book, what a coincidence?! This book is about a hispanic teenage boy named Carlos who suffers from PTSD. His mother disappeared ten years ago and he hasn't been in the right state of mind since. He took the initiative to go back to his hometown, Chicago to try and gather evidence of his mother's disappearance. He ends up.... Nah, you'll have to read it for yourself!

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read a lot of books for beginning language students, and this is frankly the best.

[Books_are_everything · Rating 2 out of 5]

no. ⭐️.5/5