Xavier Garza

On Christmas Eve, Vicent discovers that his uncle, Tío Pancho, is actually Santa's Mexican cousin! Santa needs his help delivering presents along the border with Mexico and wants to know if Pancho is up for the challenge. His mariachi outfit may be too tight and his guitar may be missing a few strings, but with a little magic and a team of lucha libre burros, Pancho is ready to save Christmas. The colorful illustrations and hilarious adventures of Charro Claus will have a special resonance with children who call the border home.

Product Description: In Xavier Garza's bilingual kids' book, young Carlitos attends his first lucha libre match in Mexico City. At ringside, Carlitos sees the famous luchador — the Man in the Silver Mask, a man whose eyes look terribly familiar. The masked wrestler even smiles at Carlitos! He is mesmerized as the Man in the Silver Mask is pitted against the terrible forces of evil — los rudos, the bad guys of lucha libre. They make the audience boo and hiss!

In this sequel to Maximilian & the Mystery of the Guardian Angel, everybody seems to be fighting: a couple of cranky tías who, like lucha libre rudos, will stop at nothing to triumph in the church's lotería game; Max's masked uncles going for the tag-team title of the world; and a green-eyed vixen named Paloma who challenges his love for Cecilia. Will good triumph over evil? Max sure hopes so!

Maximilian acts like any other eleven-year-old aficionado of lucha libre: he worships all the players. But in the summer just before sixth grade, he tumbles over the railing at a match in San Antonio and makes a connection to the world of Mexican wrestling that will ultimately connect him — maybe by blood! — to the greatest hero of all time: the Guardian Angel. A 2012 Pura Belpré Author Honor Award winner.

The fights still rage on in the third installation of Max's Lucha Libre Adventures series. Max seems like any other nerdy kid until he's asked to join the Lucha Libre Club. The super-secret club admits only the offspring of wrestling royalty. And Max is a prince, descended through his mother from royal blood, his uncle the very king of lucha libre: The Guardian Angel. Trouble is, the club is so secret that Max can't tell his best friend or girlfriend what he is up to. Just that vexing girl, Paloma.

Nikko loves bedtime. That's because his bed turns into a magical wrestling ring for the masked luchadores that he loves. His mom, of course, doesn't believe Nikko, but she just can't see what Nikko sees. And to prove his point—zoosh! Here comes luchador numero UNO with a golden mask and a silver cape. Oh, wow. Number TWO wears an orange mask with yellow flames. And so it goes until TEN luchadores are jumping on Nikko's bed. That's when the Great and Mighty Nikko puts on his mask, taking on all ten wrestlers at once and defeating them soundly.

In this mixed-media collection of short stories, personal essays, poetry, and comics, this celebrated group of authors share the borders they have crossed, the struggles they have pushed through, and the two cultures they continue to navigate as Mexican Americans. Living Beyond Borders is at once an eye-opening, heart-wrenching, and hopeful love letter from the Mexican American community to today's young readers.