{"schema_version":"bf_book_companion_v1","release_id":"20261010T034321Z-reviewed-full-unique-works","book":{"amazon_purchase_url":"https://www.amazon.com/dp/1665917067?tag=bookfrontie00-20","asin":"1665917067","authors":["Alexandra Alessandri"],"book_id":"9781665917063","canonical_url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/the-enchanted-life-of-valentina-mej-a-9781665917063","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781665917063.jpg?v=8daaf2be9dfb5c37","description":"“An exceptionally well-crafted story brimming with mythological creatures, captivating characters, and non-stop adventure.” —Christina Diaz Gonzalez, bestselling author of Invisible Encanto meets The Chronicles of Narnia by way of Colombian folklore in this “fast-paced…thrilling” ( Kirkus Reviews , starred review) middle grade fantasy adventure. To save their father’s life, a brother and sister must journey across a land full of mythical creatures and find the most powerful and dangerous of them all: the madremonte. Twelve-year-old Valentina wants to focus on drawing the real world around her and hopefully get into art school in Bogotá one day, but Papi has spent his life studying Colombia’s legendary creatures and searching for proof of their existence. So when Papi hears that a patasola—a vampire woman with one leg—has been sighted in the Andes, Valentina and her younger brother Julián get dragged along on another magical creature hunt. While they’re in the Andes, a powerful earthquake hits. Valentina and Julián fall through the earth…and find an alternate Colombia where, to Valentina’s shock, all the legends are real. To get home, Valentina and Julián must make a treacherous journey to reach this land’s ruler: the madremonte, mother and protector of the earth. She controls the only portal back to the human world—but she absolutely hates humans, and she’ll do anything to defend her land.","forthcoming":false,"isbn13":"9781665917063","publication_date":"20240213","publisher":"Atheneum Books for Young Readers","slug":"the-enchanted-life-of-valentina-mej-a","subtitle":"","title":"The Enchanted Life of Valentina Mejía"},"discovery":{"categories":{"all":[{"bisac_code":"JUV012070","confidence_band":"high","label":"Caribbean & Latin American Folktales","score":0.8449,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"JUV030040","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Caribbean & Latin American Stories","score":0.8102,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"JUV011030","confidence_band":"medium","label":"US: Hispanic & Latino Stories","score":0.8044,"source":"bisac_hint_model"}],"hint":[{"bisac_code":"JUV012070","confidence_band":"high","label":"Caribbean & Latin American Folktales","score":0.8449,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"JUV030040","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Caribbean & Latin American Stories","score":0.8102,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"JUV011030","confidence_band":"medium","label":"US: Hispanic & Latino Stories","score":0.8044,"source":"bisac_hint_model"}],"publisher":[{"bisac_code":"JUV012070","confidence_band":"high","label":"Caribbean & Latin American Folktales","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"JUV030040","confidence_band":"high","label":"Caribbean & Latin American Stories","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"JUV037000","confidence_band":"high","label":"Magic & Fantasy","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"}]},"genres":[{"label":"Caribbean & Latin American Folktales","score":0.8449,"slug":"caribbean-latin-american-folktales"},{"label":"Caribbean & Latin American Stories","score":0.8102,"slug":"caribbean-latin-american-stories"},{"label":"US: Hispanic & Latino Stories","score":0.8044,"slug":"us-hispanic-latino-stories"}],"reader_fit":["Middle-grade readers who enjoy Colombian folklore fantasy adventures"],"related_lists":[],"series":null,"similar_books":[{"authors":["Melissa de la Cruz"],"book_id":"9780593533086","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780593533086.jpg?v=1d27e8a684caa127","score":0.775,"title":"The Encanto's Daughter","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780593533086"},{"authors":["Karla Arenas Valenti"],"book_id":"9798217123209","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9798217123209.jpg?v=ba9f4628550f1c0a","score":0.7555,"title":"Lola","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9798217123209"},{"authors":["Julian Randall"],"book_id":"9781250909299","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781250909299.jpg?v=6e5927e63cef9d84","score":0.7497,"title":"Pilar Ramirez and the Curse of San Zenon","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781250909299"},{"authors":["Julian Randall"],"book_id":"9781250866066","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781250866066.jpg?v=2e82a2cefde86074","score":0.746,"title":"Pilar Ramirez and the Escape From Zafa","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781250866066"},{"authors":["Ryan Calejo"],"book_id":"9781534426627","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781534426627.jpg?v=a080acc869e2fba4","score":0.7359,"title":"Charlie Hernández & the Castle of Bones","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781534426627"},{"authors":["J. 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Cervantes"],"book_id":"9780063312074","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780063312074.jpg?v=a18249f818822145","score":0.7344,"title":"The Daggers of Ire","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780063312074"},{"authors":["Diana López"],"book_id":"9780593326503","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780593326503.jpg?v=a32549b933af07e5","score":0.7338,"title":"Los Monstruos: Felice and the Wailing Woman","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780593326503"},{"authors":["Kaela Rivera"],"book_id":"9780062947550","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780062947550.jpg?v=85dffbfa6bf37ee5","score":0.7326,"title":"Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780062947550"}],"topics":[{"evidence_refs":["keyword:fantasy"],"label":"Fantasy","score":0.1342,"slug":"fantasy"},{"evidence_refs":["keyword:adventure"],"label":"Adventure","score":0.0897,"slug":"adventure"},{"evidence_refs":["keyword:fantasy world"],"label":"World","score":0.0848,"slug":"world"},{"evidence_refs":["keyword:mother nature"],"label":"Nature","score":0.0486,"slug":"nature"},{"evidence_refs":["keyword:mythology"],"label":"Mythology","score":0.0294,"slug":"mythology"}],"what_you_get":["Themes: Sibling quest to save their father, Colombian legends and mythical creatures, Protecting the earth.","Pacing: fast, momentum-driven storytelling.","Story elements: Siblings discover an alternate world, Quest to reach a hostile ruler."]},"llm_signals":{"confidence":0.94,"pacing":"fast","reader_fit":["Middle-grade readers who enjoy Colombian folklore fantasy adventures"],"themes":["Sibling quest to save their father","Colombian legends and mythical creatures","Protecting the earth"],"tropes":["Siblings discover an alternate world","Quest to reach a hostile ruler"]},"source_presence":{"amazon":true,"book_detail":true,"goodreads":true,"llm_signals":true,"similarity_seed":true},"stats":{"amazon_ratings_count":25,"goodreads_ratings_count":190,"goodreads_reviews_count":46,"quality_score":0.8957}}