Product Description

Girl next door . . . or Mayan sorceress ?

Martika Gálvez's "To Do" list:

1. Research final project for art class–on the jaguar

2. Study the arts of telepathy (ESP) and pyrokinesis (starting fires at will)

3. Build an altar and pray to Mayan deities

4. Use psychic powers to recover stolen ancient statue and help rescue abducted teen girl...

5. and convince Mom I'm really studying at the library

Introducing Martika Gálvez, the Latina Nancy Drew of the new millennium.

Ages 12+

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1059489 in Books
• Published on: 2006-06-01
• Released on: 2006-05-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 240 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 8 Up–An intriguing mystery by the L.A. Law actress and songwriter. While Mexican-American Martika prepares for her quinceañera in a tough section of Los Angeles, she begins to have vivid and frightening nightmares that always feature a jaguar. She also dreams about a rich girl who has been kidnapped by a shady art collector; Martika is able to experience what abducted Jennifer Colton feels. With crisp dialogue liberally sprinkled with Spanish words, Greene portrays the coming of age of an unusual teen. Martika discovers that she is one of a long line of Mayan curanderas, or witches. Her growing and unusually strong powers help her to eventually solve the kidnapping case. Los Angeles is vibrantly described, with its sharply divided communities, the prevalence of drugs, and a sly bit of commentary on the residents' often superficial priorities and morals. Martika's story combines a traditional mystery told from multiple perspectives, magical realism of the Mayan world, a girl's inherited powers, and a statement on value systems. While Martika's telekinetic and pyrokinetic powers add unusual flavor to the tale, she is in many ways a typical teen. Greene introduces the tale with information about the ancient and current Mayan cultures, and the importance of magic, talismans, and shape-shifters. This unusual mystery is sure to attract teens, and should encourage them to find out more about Mayan culture.–B. Allison Gray, John Jermain Library, Sag Harbor, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Gr. 7-10. Martika begins having strange dreams about jungles and jaguars just before her quinceanera. Her mother brings her to Tia Tellin--the neighborhood bruja, or witch, to help sort out what she sees. Martika is astonished to learn that Tia Tellin is her great aunt and that they are both descended from a long line of Mayan healers, whose powers include psychic divination. When the daughter of her mother's client is kidnapped, Martika's visions help guide the search for the missing girl. Greene is an actress and a screenwriter, and her dramatic experience is clear in her debut novel's skillfully maintained suspense and her camera-ready scenes of rescuers and villains. Readers will be equally riveted by the second, more spiritual mystery: the source and extent of Martika's special powers. Particularly well drawn are the details of Mexican American life in Martika's L.A. neighborhood and the universal, coming-of-age aches--negotiating between separated parents, fighting with a best friend, and the terror and responsibility that can come with discovering one's talents. Readers will look forward to the promised sequels in the Martika Galvez series. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Michele DomÍnguez Greene is an Emmy-nominated actress who has starred in the NBC series L.A. Law and numerous television movies and independent films. Behind the camera, her talent as a screenwriter has garnered her critical acclaim. Her screenplays include Fly Cherry and Beethoven's 7-11, which won the 2004 Spirit of Moondance Award in the category of best short screenplays at the Moondance International Film Festival. Her first novel, Chasing the Jaguar, has been optioned by movie producer Robert Katz, whose films include Selena and Introducing Dorothy Dandridge.

Ms. Greene is also a bilingual singer/songwriter signed to Appleseed Recordings. She has recorded two solo albums, Ojo de TiburÓn and Luna Roja, and has lent her vocals to Spain in My Heart: Songs of the Spanish Civil War and the Grammy-nominated Seeds, a compilation of songs by Pete Seeger.

A native Angeleno of Mexican-Oklahoman-Irish heritage, Ms. Greene resides in Los Angeles, California.