Charlie Hernández & the Castle of Bones

By: Ryan Calejo

Narrated by: Giordan Diaz

Inspired by Hispanic folklore, legends, and myths from the Iberian Peninsula and Central and South America, this bold sequel to Charlie Hernández & the League of Shadows, which Booklist called "a perfect pick for kids who love Rick Riordan" in a starred review, follows Charlie as he continues on his quest to embrace his morphling identity.

Charlie Hernandez still likes to think of himself as a normal kid. But what's normal about being a demon-slaying preteen with an encyclopedic knowledge of Hispanic and Latino mythology who can partially manifest nearly any animal trait found in nature? Well, not much. But, Charlie believes he can get used to this new "normal," because being able to sprout wings or morph fins is pretty cool.

But there is a downside: it means having to constantly watch his back for La Mano Peluda's sinister schemes. And when the leader of La Liga, the Witch Queen Jo herself, is suddenly kidnapped, Charlie's sure they're at it again.

Determined to save the queen and keep La Liga's alliances intact, Charlie and his good friend Violet Rey embark on a perilous journey to track down her captors. As Charlie and Violet are drawn deeper into a world of monstruos and magia they are soon left with more questions than answers--like, why do they keep hearing rumors of dead men walking, and why is Charlie suddenly having visions of an ancient evil: a necromancer priest who's been dead for more than five centuries?

Charlie's abuela once told him that when dead men walk, the living run in fear. And Charlie's about to learn the truth of that--the hard way.

My kids insisted that I rate this 5 out of 5 stars

This sequel was just as good — if not better than — the first book in the series. I’m just fascinated by the folklore and legends that whirled around this adventure. Castle of Bones was a bit darker than book one, and the danger felt much more ominous. I highly recommend reading this series in order because the character development is so important to understanding the events.

We have this book in both print and audio, but we leaned heavily toward the audio. In print, you can see the spelling of the unfamiliar names and words. It’s quite a long book, which is intimidating for many kids. I think the formatting of dialogue paragraphs makes a difference there.

The audio version is terrific! The same narrator voices both the first and second book which is so helpful for continuity. Hearing the Spanish phrases in an authentic tongue makes the story really come alive. There were times when the narrator had an awkward rhythm to his fluency, but it didn’t impact the message. My son said he wished there would be more voices, comparing it to The Graveyard Book full-cast production. I can see what he’s saying there.

Great Novel!

I would definitely recommend this novel! The author is witty and funny, and the pace of the novel never lags. I love how Calejo used Latin myths and legends and wove them with such intricacies that as a reader you are both learning about myths while enjoying the novel. The adventures that the characters go through are fun and exciting!

Both my daughter and I loved this series.

Both my daughter and I enjoyed hearing this audio series during our commute to & from school.

Another exciting adventure with Charlie

Another great story with Charlie Hernandez. An untapped resource of exciting stories, the author uses interesting and educational stories from Hispanic culture. The kind of story I would have been excited to find when I was a YA Hispanic reader. Even now as an adult I love following Charlie on his adventures and can’t wait until the next.

Beautiful Diverse Tales

This books series has been a beautiful mashup of so many myths and stories from my Hispanic childhood. So much nostalgia. It’s been a beautiful way to share this with my children. They beg me to play the audiobook on the way to school and before bed. These stories have been fun for everyone.