Lou Lou and Pea and the Mural Mystery

Gr 4–6—Lou Lou Bombay and Peacock Pearl (Pea for short) are best friends living in a town called El Corazón. Lou Lou likes getting her hands dirty in her beloved garden, and Pea is clean and proper but loves to create art. The friends meet every Friday afternoon after school for tea parties where they discuss their week and upcoming weekend plans. But things start to go a bit sideways for some of the townsfolk right before the upcoming Day of the Dead procession. First, Pea's cousin's Quinceañera dress is deliberately ruined with purple dye, and then Lou Lou's potentially prize-winning camellia bush, Pinky, falls victim to a "planticide." What's more, someone is painting clues into the murals around town, and only Lou Lou and Pea seem to notice. The story is sprinkled with whimsical illustrations and Spanish phrases. A glossary of words to know in Spanish as well as instructions for making pan de muerto and a garden flower crown craft are also included. Although many of the adult characters come across as two-dimensional, Lou Lou and Pea are likable heroines and the cast of multicultural characters and Latino-themed festivities broaden the accessibility.