Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Raining Sardines by Enrique Flores-Galbis

Ernestina and Enriquito are best friends, but when they receive a strange visit from an even stranger woman, who knows where their friendship will take them! A passing storm left wreckage covering the surface of the bay. Fishing, Enriquito spotted a couch with a woman sitting on it. She was singing a lovely song. She invites Enriquito and Ernestina to climb aboard. The woman is a fortune teller! She tells them about a lost treasure and a fearsome guard. The children leave to seek out this lost treasure. Throughout this story, Enriquito and Ernestina encounter many events together. They have to deal with Alyssa Rigol—the daughter of wealthy land owner Don Rigol. He believes the entire mountain, including the wild ponies and the lost treasure it shelters, belongs to him. Enriquito and Ernestina must fight to discover the secret of the lost gold and keep the land, the treasure, and the mountain ponies free from the clutches of greedy Don Rigol.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys stories about fortune tellers and secret treasure hunts. Raining Sardines was an exciting story. It included so many different topics and scenes—from a family struggling to get by to rich people getting richer by taking advantage of poor workers, and from an artist’s studio to a courtroom trial. The writing in this fantastic fiction book was amazing in the way it brought the characters to life. My favorite part was when Enriquito escaped from jail with help from Ernestina. This book is great. If you choose to read it, you’re in for a treat!

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8

Reviewer Age: 11
Reviewer City, State and Country: Saugerties, NY USA