The Case of the Three Kings/El caso de los Reyes Magos

Gr 2–4—When Flaca and her sister, whom she refers to as "La Bruja," get a surprise gift of plane tickets for Christmas, they have reservations about going to visit their great-grandmother in Puerto Rico. Flaca, also known as Detective Flaca, has cases to work on and enjoys doing so from the comfort of her home. When the girls' parents tell them they are also going to celebrate Three Kings' Day on their trip, Flaca sets out to show that there is no way the Three Kings visit children on camels and leave gifts. Flaca doesn't get much sleep and is bitten by mosquitoes every day and night, and to top it off, some of her cousins make fun of the way she talks. More determined than ever, she begins to collect clues on the night the Three Kings are supposed to arrive: she follows the grass trail and sets up a perimeter. Her great-grandmother, Mamita, wakes up before the rest of the family and takes Flaca out to feed the chickens and shows Flaca the beauty of the land. Flaca discovers that the holiday is not about gifts or who brings them but about seeing the joy in the faces of the members of her family. Flaca is a witty, clever character who thinks quickly, and the dual English and Spanish text makes this book ideal for children who speak one or both languages or who are learning.