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Minda Gomez
Author, Illustrator
The Secret Door
Minda Gomez, author

Middle Grade; General Fiction (including literary and historical); (Market)

Immerse yourself in the world of the Martinez Kids, three spunky bilingual children who have some exciting adventures! Their elderly Mexican neighbor Don Toño invites their family to join him in his virtual reality invention (hidden in an inconspicuous garden shed), which allows them to experience life as animals. Join the kids as they scamper through the trees as squirrels, swim through the oceans as dolphins, whales, and sharks, and swing through a Mexican rainforest as spider monkeys. This colorful, illustrated chapter book will capture the imaginations of your children. It is great for kids to read on their own, and is also a wonderful family read-aloud that will spark great conversations about important themes. As the kids navigate situations like peer pressure and the temptation to steal, their experiences in real life and in the animal world will lead them to draw their own conclusions. Go to www.mindagomez.com for discussion questions that can guide your family's conversations after you read each adventure. In addition, this book offers a fascinating glimpse into a bicultural Mexican-American family where English and Spanish blend naturally. Their Papi and neighbors Don Toño and Doña Rosa are positive examples of Mexicans living in the United States. The book comes with a glossary to help with pronunciations and meanings. At the end, find an easy recipe for quesadillas that you can make together! Children and adults alike will be intrigued by this unique take on animals, culture, values, and imagination!
Reviews
Amazon.com

Beautifully written for kids! All ages will enjoy the dialogue, adventures and life lessons learned by Rico, Diego, and Araceli. Plus, what kid wouldn’t mind trying such a fun “virtual reality” invention? The Martinez family will long be remembered by readers and I’m already hoping for more adventures. As a librarian, I have signed copies of this book that I am preparing for checkout from our school library and can’t wait to promote this with all our students. Thank you, Minda Gomez, for a book that is going to make a wonderful difference for many children and their families!

Amazon.com

My kids (ages 10, 7, and 3) all loved this book! Actually, I quite enjoyed it as well. Even though it is a chapter book, the bright color pictures every few pages make it fun as a read aloud book for the little ones. My oldest actually finished reading it all in one sitting because he couldn't put it down.

The characters in the story are very relatable, and the lessons that they learn are very appropriate for kids of their ages. There are even family discussion questions on the author's website that can be used to further explore the lessons from each chapter.

It's really fun to see a bilingual and bi-cultural family portrayed in this book. The bits of Spanish sprinkled throughout were really fun for my kids, and there is even a glossary of Spanish words, meanings, and pronunciations in the front of the book.

Frankly, the part my kids enjoyed the most was the virtual reality with the fun animal adventures. I mean, what kid hasn't imagined what it would be like to swing through the trees like a monkey or swim in the ocean like a sea creature? So. Much. Fun.

I highly recommend this book. My kids are already asking when there will be more Martinez Kids Adventures.

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