Chasing the Jaguar

by Michele Domínguez Greene

Book Overview

Is she the girl next door . . . or a Mayan sorceress? Chasing the Jaguar introduces Martika Glvez, the Latina Nancy Drew of the new millennium. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060763558
• ISBN13: 9780060763558
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: Harper Teen
• Length: 227 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 12 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 12

Customer Reviews

A well-written and entertaining mystery with a bilingual/bicultural heroine

Well, this book has been read three times in my house in the past three days, and by only two people .... I read it in one sitting three days ago, then my 14-year-old son read it two days ago, staying up way until too late so he could finish it .... and then yesterday, just as I was about to give it to my 12-year-old, the 14-year-old asked for it back so he could read it again (which he did). I enjoyed this book as much as my son did. Talk about a page-turner -- the plot is exciting and full of twists, the characters are engaging and multi-dimensional, and the cultural and historical details that fill out the story are wonderful and quite unique. And even though the book is set in a very specific time and place (in a Mexican-American family in East LA, with very current cultural references), the themes are universal, from classic teenage themes such as dealing with peer pressure, parental divorce, and trying to figure out who you are, to deeper issues such as connecting to your ancestors, finding pride in your heritage, and "living your destiny." I loved how the main character, Martika, develops as she learns about her family history and discovers the psychic gifts she has inherited from her Mayan ancestors. We learn about Mayan history as she does, and suddenly East LA doesn't seem all that far removed from an ancient Mayan kingdom in Guatemala! I also loved the many references and expressions in Spanish that are interwoven throughout the text. (A glossary is provided in the back, but the meaning is clear enough anyway from the context, if you're too engaged in the story to check for definitions!) The conversations in the story perfectly reflect the natural interplay between Spanish and English in bilingual families. In my house, we're all looking forward to the next book in the Martika Galvez series!

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Martika Galvez is just a normal teenage girl. That is, until she turns fifteen and learns that her ancestors were Mayan curanderas and she's following in their footsteps! Her strange dreams apparently mean that she has psychic powers, passed down from her father's side of the family, that her parents have tried to ignore for fifteen years. Now, though, Martika has to deal with learning about her powers from another curandera, Tia Tellin. She's learning about her ancestors, her powers, and how to use them. Martika is also dealing with the typical problems that come with being fifteen: friends, guys, and schoolwork! If that wouldn't be difficult enough, Martika is also involved in a mystery! Her mother has been working for a man whose teenage daughter is kidnapped--and Martika's powers could be the key to finding her before anything bad happens to Jennifer. CHASING THE JAGUAR is a fast-paced, enjoyable book full of interesting bits of Spanish and stories about Martika's Mayan ancestors. Martika is just one of a cast of believable, likable characters in the story. This is a quick and entertaining read, written by an excellent new author. Michele Dominguez Greene's writing is great, and I certainly hope she's planning more books about Martika! Reviewed by: Jocelyn Pearce

A promising start to a new series!

Chasing the Jaguar is the story of a 15-year-old Mexican-American girl, of Mayan descent, living in the barrio in Los Angles. Martika starts having strange dreams around the time of her quinceanera (a traditional 15th birthday celebration to celebrate a young girl becoming a woman). When the wealthy daughter of her mother's employer is kidnapped, Martika sees images of the kidnapping, and of Jennifer held captive in an abandoned building. Martika learns from her mother that she is descended from a long line of curanderas (healers, or medicine women, with psychic powers). As she starts to learn about her gift, she had to balance this learning with helping to find Jennifer, restoring a precious Mayan artifact, keeping up with family responsibilities, staying on top of her schoolwork, and spending time with her best friend. I was impressed by the thoroughness with which the Latin immigrant family lifestyle is portrayed. Martika's mother watches Spanish-language television, Martika grabs a quesadilla for lunch and eats tortillas for breakfast, and the book is sprinkled with Spanish phrases and Mexican traditions. Michele Dominguez Greene is clearly of Latin immigrant descent herself. She also knows Los Angles well. The book has an authenticity in both of these areas. The text starts out with a bit too much brand-name dropping for my taste, and Martika is perhaps a little bit too good to be true. However, her struggle with her overprotective papi to assert her independence feels real. And the details of the Mayan history, and curandera powers, are fascinating. I also liked seeing a strong, smart heroine from a working class immigrant family. Overall, I think that it's a promising start to a new series, and I look forward to seeing what Martika will do next. Michele Dominguez Greene is an Emmy-nominated actress who starred in L.A. Law for five years. She is also a singer/songwriter of Latin and folk music. Although this is her first book, she has written two award-winning short screenplays and has contributed feature articles to several magazines. She is a native of Los Angeles and is of Mexican/Nicaraguan and Irish background. Greene says that the Latin family in which she grew up is very different from what is usually portrayed in popular culture and the media. "I hope Martika and her friends will be positive role models for young girls and inspire them to dream bit," Greene explains. "When girls feel the future offers them many possibilities, they are more likely to avoid pifalls like teen pregnancy." This book review was originally published on my blog, Jen Robinson's Book Page, on June 18th, 2006.