  | Visitors (Tales From Cabin 23) Author: Mendez, Yamile Saied | |
| Price: $21.18 | ||
Summary:
When Gen Farias's brother, Lorenzo, is arrested, everything changes. Gen's parents decide to get Gen out of the city, so they move to the small town of Los Astros, a beautiful village in the mountains where his mother's tio once lived. But Gen can't leave his troubles behind, and finds that the town has its own troubles: creepy wicker figures that everyone keeps on their lawns, tales of children who go missing or worse. Los Astros has a secret--one Gen must uncover before it's too late.
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG Reading Level: 5.30 Points: 8.0 Quiz: 555821 |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (06/15/25)
School Library Journal (05/01/25)
Booklist (08/01/25)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 05/01/2025 Gr 4–7—Things have been tough for 12-year-old Gen Farías since his father lost his job, his best friend was killed in a home robbery, and his big brother Lorenzo's futbol dreams died with a knee injury. Nowadays, Lorenzo is moody and spends time with a rough crowd. When he sneaks out Halloween night, it sets into motion a series of shocking events where he is implicated in a boy's murder and arrested. Wracked with grief and shame, Gen's mother condemns Lorenzo and moves the family from Rosario, Argentina, to Los Astros, an idyllic mountain village where everything is lush, beautiful—and too good to be true. Gen befriends Elena and Caito, two local children who fill him in on the vengeful River God and the dark annual rituals that simmer beneath the town's flawless veneer. Méndez has crafted a sympathetic, lovable character in Gen that readers will root for as he is pulled in every direction by his guilt while his family is adrift in their own struggles. Horror fans may find big scares hard to come by, but a sense of unease permeates the first two-thirds of the book which focuses on exploring complex interpersonal dynamics and establishing the mystery. The action picks up in the last third, as Gen and his friends learn that legends can be dangerously wrong. Themes of generational trauma and grappling with past mistakes resonate—sometimes, saying sorry and making things right can be enough. As with the prior series titles, a prologue and epilogue frame the story as a witch's spooky tale, told to a trapped camper in Cabin 23. VERDICT A poignant, recommended story for fans of character-driven fiction with a touch of supernatural thrill.—Ashleigh Williams - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
Booklist - 08/01/2025 After a disastrous event sends Gen’s older brother, Lorenzo, to jail, the Farías family is eager to move on with their lives. Gen is on board with moving to his mother’s hometown of Los Astros, but he’s uncomfortable with his parents’ decision to act as though Lorenzo no longer exists. Gen’s beautiful new surroundings provide plenty of distraction from his grief, however, and he meets two friends who f ill him in on the legends and superstitions that surround the annual festivities that aim to prevent a child from going missing every year. This third book in the Tales from Cabin 23 series, the titles in which are tied together with a hidden-camp-cabin thread, can stand alone, though the themes of generational trauma, missing children, and helplessness in the face of a family loss are far weightier than most fireside tales. Perfect for fans of Katherine Arden’s Small Spaces series or Tracey Baptiste’s Jumbies books, this unusual blend of grief and folk horror has likable, well-developed characters and an atmospheric level of dread that will intrigue young readers looking for eerie tales. - Copyright 2025 Booklist.
