My
visit to Puerto Rico had also shown me I wasn’t just a detective, or just
a
girl from the Northeast, or even Puerto Rican. I was all those things . . .—Detective
Flaca
 |
| Piňata Books |
The
Latina Book Club wishes everyone a Happy Three Kings’ Day.
We
too remember our holidays in Puerto Rico, putting grass out for the camels, and
awakening to boxes of little gifts. We also remember the mosquito bites, the
sun burn and the tongue twisters when speaking Spanish to our cousins. But all that is part of our traditions and
about family.
The
Latina Book Club is happy to have found a great book that showcases the best of
the holidays and of family in THE CASE OF THE THREE KINGS: THE FLACA FILES by
Alidis Vicente. This is book two in the
Detective Flaca series but it stands alone.
We know our readers will fall in love with Flaca and look forward to
reading more of her adventures, and her books are bilingual so you can read them in English and Spanish. But first,
let’s learn how Alidis spends her Three Kings’ Day.
Q: Flaca
learns of the Three Kings Day tradition on her trip to Puerto Rico. What do you
remember from your childhood about the Three Kings? Where there any special
rituals at your house? How do you keep this tradition alive?
ALIDIS: We never celebrated the Three Kings holiday
in my home, which is, in part, the inspiration for my book. I learned
about the holiday from my cousins in Puerto Rico. They explained to me a
lot about the celebration, the tradition, and the major impact it has on their
holiday season. I felt slightly left out and wished I had grown up
celebrating Three Kings Day the way my family did in Puerto Rico. It
wasn't until a few years ago that I began to celebrate at home with my own
children, so they could partake in the festivities. It's my hope to take
them to Puerto Rico for Three Kings Day so we can experience the holiday
together with our relatives for the first time. Until then, we'll be
digging under the snow for grass in our winter gear!
REVIEW: THE CASE OF THE THREE KINGS: THE FLACA FILES is an enchanting, fun tale about a precocious pre-teen
with a nose for mysteries and a love for family. Readers will love Flaca and
share her enjoyment in discovering the culture and traditions of Puerto Rico.
Detective Flaca is a precocious pre-teen who enjoys solving mysteries.
For Christmas she received great gifts – fingerprint kit, police tape and a
plane ticket to the Island of Enchantment, Puerto Rico. Everyone is thrilled
except Flaca. If she would have been consulted she could have warned her
parents about the dangers of going to the Caribbean, but she wasn’t. Puerto
Rico turns out to be the worst gift ever – her cousins make fun of her accent,
the mosquitos feast on her until she is covered in bites, and her detective
instincts tell her that there is more to the Three Kings’ Day celebration than
adults are saying. Detective Flaca is on the case! But a heart to heart talk
with her great grandmother teaches Flaca that the island has a heartbeat; that family
traditions are important; and that not all mysteries need to be solved.###
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Alidis Vicente is a mother of two from New Jersey.
Currently, she is employed at a Montessori Preschool where she enjoys
shaping the minds of young children. She
is also a Rutgers University alumni who is returning to her alma mater as a
graduate student in the Rutgers School of Social Work. Alidis, the original Detective Flaca,
continues to write stories from her New Jersey home, only now she uses a laptop
instead of a notepad… at least most of the time. Visit her at www.alidisvicente.com.
HAPPY 2017!
READ LATINO LIT!