Set in Frida Kahlo’s hometown, Coyoacan, Mexico, this mystery is rich with Mexican culture, art history, and the self-discovery of a young girl from Kansas who is visiting her father’s country for the first time. While there, Paloma is swept up into a covert investigation of a missing ring, trying to emulate her literary hero Lulu Pennywhistle. With her new friends, she must navigate the adult world to find clues and solve the crime to gain justice for Frida.

While based on real facts about Frida, it is unknown if the peacock ring ever really existed. This mystery led Angela Cervantes to create this novel. It has the feel of a Nancy Drew case, in that a young detective is solving crimes that sometimes leads to dangerous situations.

This is a book for art lovers, history buffs, and mystery solvers alike. While the main character is a female, her supporting characters are male and would be interesting to both genders. The book gives enough information about Frida to peak interest in her art and is a great launching pad for further discovery. This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Scholastic Press (A Scholastic Imprint)

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  None

Violence/Gore:  Report of parent’s death due to car accident; painting of blood and people jumping off buildings; report of a bus accident; report of a death; minor kicks adult in chin; adult hit over the head with something hard; minor pulled in two different directions – hurt ankle; parent thought child was kidnapped; minor being watched and followed; report of house being broken into; man arrested and sent to jail for stealing from museum; thought of someone being hired to hurt them; imagery of heart being chiseled to pieces; adult lunged for another adult’s collar; minor tried to pull adult off of another adult and gut pushed into another minor; adult grabs minor in headlock; adult pulls minor’s arms behind back; adult has a gun.

Sex/Nudity:  A few occurrences of kissing on cheek between genders; google-y eyes; linked arms walking; a few incidences of hand holding. (It should be noted that any occurrence of kissing on cheek as a custom of greeting was not counted.)

Mature Subject Matter:

Smuggled art, falsely accused parent in jail, death, theft.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

Adults drinking wine; fresh cigarette butts; bottles of wine in cellar.