52. Mayan Star by Howard Allan

read on my iPhone
2018 publication date
293 pgs.
Adult Mystery
Finished 6/9/2019 - took a great deal of time to get through
Goodreads rating:  3.85 - 400 ratings
My rating: 3
Setting: contemporary Yucatan, Mexico

First line/s:  "A jaguar.  Dr. Isabel Reyes was furious.  She'd been pilled away from her clinic with a waiting room full of mothers and their children -- all alive -- to look at the mutilated carcass of the norteamericano archaeologist."

My comments:  Flipping back and forth between points of view, we follow Dublin-born ex-Rabbi Simon Press, Mexican Antiquities Detective Benito Ruffino, and Dr. Isabel Reyes - along with some more minor characters - through a quagmire of deaths and decapitations all revolving around a stolen very ancient Mayan codex.  No one seems to know why there is so much importance tied to this particular antiquity until the very end (Spoiler Alert) when the Vatican becomes involved.  And the outcome is SO sick-religion-Catholic crazy that it nauseates me.  Sadly crazy.  Interesting possibilities.  Great setting, interesting characters, a little draggy, and a lot of anti-Mexican stereotypes that tended to be off-putting....

Goodreads synopsis:  This much is true: In 1562 Diego de Landa burned all the Mayan codices and began a suppression of the Mayan religion that was brutal even by 16th century conquistador standards. What we don’t know is why. 
     Excavations at a recently discovered Mayan site near Valladolid in the Yucatan unearth a codex – the first to be discovered in over 50 years. A mangled body is found among the ruins. It belongs to Father Colvin McNeery, an expert on the Gospel of Matthew, the only Gospel to mention the Star of Bethlehem. The local police say he was killed by a jaguar. 
     Dr. Isabel Reyes, renegade daughter of one of the wealthiest families in Mexico, is called away from her clinic to issue a death certificate. She wonders, when she sees the claw marks, what sort of jaguar is left-handed? 
     Ex-rabbi and scholar Simon Press has just seen another of his controversial lectures on the spread of Christianity end in violence. He’s back at his hotel nursing a scotch when he gets the news that his friend and colleague, Colvin McNeery, is dead in the Yucatan. Press has always been resentful of Christianity’s success; what he finds in McNeery’s translation of the codex will allow him to get even. 
     Detective First Class Benito Rufino of the Antiquities Police is pulled off a sting he’s spent nine months setting up, and ordered to Valladolid. He’s furious until he finds out why: a codex worth $500 million pesos is missing. 
     Leon Cortes - devout Catholic and a direct descendant of the Conquistador - has become drug overlord for all of the Yucatan because he believes his faith requires him to mortify his soul as his Savior mortified his body. Now he’s ordered by the Vatican to find the codex and send it to them. 
     The 1500 year old codex contains an account of a holy man, a savior who is born under a bright star to a virgin, performs miracles, dies a horrible death, and is resurrected. If McNeery’s translation of the codex is correct, then something is radically wrong with the conventional accounts of the European discovery of the Americas. Or - and this is the only other possibility - something is radically wrong with Christianity’s notion of itself. 
     Mayan Star is mystery/thriller with a Borgesian twist. 

55. 12.21 - Dustin Thomason

2012, Dial Press
328 pgs.
HC $27.00 TPPL
Goodreads rating: 3.52
my rating: 4 or maybe even 4.5, it was very good
1st line/s:  "He stands silently in the moonlight against the wall of the temple, the small bundle held tightly under his arm."

During the last two weeks before the Mayan Long Count (and the end of the world, some say) a deadly, uncontrollable disease with no antidote is unleashed on Los Angeles.  Dr. Gabriel Stanton, a brilliant researcher and Center for Disease Control authority on prion diseases and Chel Manu, a Mayan historian and linguist from the Getty, team up to try to find the origination of the disease in order to try to stop it AND cure it.

This was an interesting and suspenseful story, different than those I usually choose.  I enjoyed the entire book.

POETRY - The Ancestors Are Singing - Tony Johnston

Illustrated by Karen Barbour
2003, Farrar Straus Giroux
Goodreads rating 3.25
My rating: 4
64 pages
Illustrations:  pen & ink

Poems of Mexico, past and present, with references to Mayans and Aztecs, so fits in perfectly to my 4th grade studies. Some great examples follow:


Storms in Oaxaca ( pronounciation: Wuh-Hah-Kuh)

The great saguaro shivers
in the cold.
It holds out its thick and prickly arms
to feel slivers of shining
rain.
Tall and alone it stands
and gathers light from strikes of raving
lightning.
When the land is dry, the saguaro remembers
storms.

Rabbit in the Moon

Old and clever one,
how I wish I had been there
on the night that you leaped
into the sky.
How I wish I had seen you spark
your silver trail
like a comet with long ears
across the dark.
Oh, how I wish I had been there ---
and looked up.

Old Palaces

Beneath the jungle canopy of trees,
old palaces fill the silence with old dreams,
alone except when splendid golden gleams
of jaguars come to rest upon their bones ---
or when bats, velvet gods of long ago,
cluster in their crumbling roof combs.
The ancient trees stand, green as quetzal plumes.
The fearsome kings are gone.  Stones speak to stones.

Museum of Anthropology
(for Pedro Ramirez Vazquez)

In the silence of the splendid galleries
Ethecatl, god of wind,
stands forever entwined
with a slender snake.
Alongside a mute clay
flute,
a wooden Aztec drum
rests, stilled
as if it had never
beat.
Mezcala figurines 
carved in green stone
sit gazing at old starts beyond 
the ceiling.

In the courtyard 
beneath a stone pillar
streaming
with musical water,
the Ancestors are
singing.

67. The Corn Grows Ripe - Dorothy Rhoads

Newbery Honor Book
Illustrated by Jean Charlot
1956
90 pgs.
For: Middle Grades
Rating: Much better than I ever expected

Dionisio, called Tigre (meaning Jaguar) lives in a primitive village in current-day Yucatan. At 12 he is lazy and somewhat spoiled, but takes over his family's milpa (cornfield) when his father is badly injured. This corn is the family's sustenance. Yes, they have a few chickens, but it is the corn that feeds them. We get to observe the full cycle, from cutting and preparing the milpa, to the wait for rain, the sowing, the wait for rain again, and the harvest. During that time we get a glimpse into the life of modern-day Maya that is still tied to those of the ancient Maya.

Full of description, Maya and Spanish words (and a wonderful glossary), stories of gods and ceremonies and a way of life, this book was appreciated by almost all of my 27 fourth-graders. They are creating a map of the setting that has them VERY excited. A codex of 27 of the Maya words and terms will follow. This was a great novel for our Maya unit.

The Bravest Flute - Ann Grifalconi

A Story of Courage in the Mayan Tradition
Little, Brown & Co., 1994 (out-of-print)
Rating: 3
Endpapers: aqua

(Includes a 3-paragraph author's note with information about the Maya.)

A poor, fatherless Maya boy is to lead the New Year's parade from the village to the cathedral. He will play his simple bamboo flute while carrying a huge drum on his back - on which a drummer will pound - for the entire procession. It gets harder and harder, but he is greeted at the cathedral with pine arches, soft leaves underfoot, and a very special gift.

It's written so that it reads as prose but looks like long lines of free verse. This seems to ba an early sample of the many vers-stories of the past decade. Illustrations softly cover the entire page, with the text in a lighter space near the bottom. It looks like pastels and watercolor washes.

Read this aloud accompanied by simple flute music. Have TWO voices read it aloud - one for the italics, one for the story. Amy and I did this in the classroom and it was actually quite lovely. We had the students just listen to the story and envision the setting and characters - without showing the illustrations as we went along. We had them draw their own visions, then we shared the story with the original illustrations.

Secrets in Stone - Laurie Coulter

All About Maya Hieroglyphs
Illustrations by Sarah Jane English
2001, Little Brown, out-of-print
will be reissued by Black Walnut/Madison Press
March, 2010 in paper at $8.95
48 pgs.
Rating: 4
for: school-age kids
Endpapers: front: glossy crimson, back: "Glyphmaster" (see below)

This is a nonfiction account of how Maya hieroglyphs were finally deciphered - and it lookes like it wasn't until 1973 that the best breakthrough came! Fascinating information about ancient Maya culture is intersperced with the account of centuries of history of the "codebreakers" of the Maya hieroglyphs.

If you think you're going to walk away with an understanding of this intensely complicated writing, you're probably wrong. But fascinated you will be! I can't imagine learning to read these. Wow. But if you have a love of history, of the past, of archeology, or mysterious cultures still being "discovered", this will be a fascinating read.

The "Glyphmaster" at the back of the book is a series of embossed glyphs that can be lightly rubbed with pencil and paper to create names, etc. They're great for copying freehand with so many possiblilities for fun projects! Enjoy

Mexico & Central America - Mary C. Turck

A Fiesta of Cultures, Crafts, and Activities for Ages 8-12
Chicago Review Press
$14.95
148 p.
Published 2004
A must have if teaching Mexico or Central America - you could base your entire unit on this book

40+ Projects
3 Short dramatic plays
Maps and loads of information about past and present, culture, history, politics
Don't be decieved by the format, this looks like a craft and activity book. Yes, it's full of both, but it's also chock full of information and history written in a clear, informative, INTERESTING way!

Chapter titles:
1. Ancient Roots (particularly Maya and Aztec)
2. Country by Country (informative map and information about each):
....Mexico
....Belize
....Costa Rica
....El Salvador
....Guatamela
....Honduras
....Nicaragua
....Panama
3. Life Above the Clouds (Contemporary lifestyle)
4. On the Atlantic Coast (African and Indian influences)
5. Going to school (looks at schools in Honduras, Mexico, and Guatemala)
6. Art and Poetry
7. Daily Grind: Corn and Coffee (Food, Agriculture)
8. Celebrating Life (family celebrations)
9. Religious and Patriotic Holidays

SPANISH lessons and vocabulary throughout (at least once per chapter)
Much information about Hurrican Mitch (Oct. 1998)
Quincenareas
Border crossings and immigration
Large resource list

Some activites I plan to do in the first month of school:
Creating an Aztec calendar
Creating a hieroglyphic name for yourself
Map-making
Soap carving
Music makers: Drums/maracas/guiros/claves
Making a mola
Yarn Painting
Murals - and Diego Rivera
Poetry writing
Tree of Life (I've seen some beautiful ones, this gives ideas for making one...)
Papel picado (cutting paper)
Making a pinata
Luminarias !Ojo de Dios (God's eyes)

Ancient Maya Civilization

NONFICTION NONFICTION NONFICTION NONFICTION NONFICTION

The Ancient Maya
by Lila Perl
Franklin Watts/Scholastic, 2005
Gr. 5+
PCPL 972.81016 P42a
Full of photos
This is the book that gave me the most historical data in the easiest form to digest and enjoy. Beginning my Maya unit each year with a reread of this book will refresh (and interest) me perfectly. Recommended.

The Maya: Activities and Crafts from a Mysterious Land
by Arlette N. Braman, 2003
Gr. 3-8
118 pages
John Wiley & Sons
PCPL Library, read 0709
972.81016 B7318m

This book is both full of information and loaded with activites and projects. Chapters and projects include:
Daily life: at work, at home, and at play (There's a great board game, Bul!, and an animal whistle that looks pretty complicated
Society: farmers, warriors, and kings (planting an aluminum pan herb field, making a jaguar shield and macaw headdress
Food: sacred food, fire food, and food of the gods (with recipes for corn cakes, chicken chili, and a chocolate drink
Art and Architecture: weaving, mask making, pottery, and building a temple/pyramid
Science, Math, and Writing: with math activities, personal glyph rubbing, making a code book, and a glyph amulet

A good glosssary and index are also included.

See the projects one girl created using this book

Mexico & Central America
A Fiesta of Cultures, Crafts, and Acctivities for Ages 8-12
by Mary C. Turck
See the separate review I wrote for this great activity/information book.


Your Travel Guide to Ancient Mayan Civilization
by Nancy Day, 2001
Gr. 4-8
96 pages
Runestone Press, Minneapolis
PCPL Library, read 0709
972.81016 D3329y
Excellent source.

Lots of information, presented as if you were to be a traveler to the civilization during the period of 600-800 AD. It doesn't mince the sacrificial aspects of the culture, and includes some facts kids would consider gross---and love----like cures for sickness: "If all else fails, have him remove one sandal, urinate in it and drink the urine." There's trivia that kids (and adults) would love, explanations of jewelry, tatooing, clothing (or lack thereof), their writing system, still existing pyramids and how they were used, games.... I read almost every word, and I am definitely a nonfiction skimmer, not reader.

Illustrations: Photographs of Mayan antiquities, including pyramids, carving, and reddish-orange paintings.

Mystery of The Maya
Peter Lourie, 2001
Gr. 4-7
48 pgs.
Boyds Mills Press
PCPL Library
972.75016 L934m

Peter Lourie accompanies American archeologist Ed Barnhart who is uncovering the ancient Maya city of Palenque, located in the Mexican state of Chiapas on the border of Guatemala. Filled with photographs of the site, flora, fauna, and contemporary Mayas who are helping with the excavation, his first person narrative is interesting, reading like a story. Here's a nonfiction to read from beginning to end, without skimming. Very interesting and informative.

FICTION FICTION FICTION FICTION FICTION FICTION FICTION

Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow
by James Rollins
Gr. 5-8
402 pages
Fantasy/Adventure

See my review from July 2009.

Opening lines:"The man fled down the steep slope of the jungle mountain. His boots slipped in the muck of wet leaves and slick mud. Clinging branches and snagging thorns sought to catch him, but he ripped straight through them."

The Corn Grows Ripe
by Dorothy Rhoads, 1956
Gr. 4-7
90 pgs.
Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Dionisio, called Tigre (Jaguar), takes over the preparing, sowing, and harvesting of his family MILPA (cornfield) when his father gets hurt. This worked really well in my fourth-grade classroom. The setting is richly described and we get a close look at the culture of a primitive contemporary Maya village that still has ties to the "old ways" of the ancient Maya.

The Most Beautiful Place in the World
by Ann Cameron, 1988
Gr. 2-4
46 pages
Contemporary realistic fiction

A look at life in modern-day Guatemala. See my review from April 2009.

Beginning lines: "My name is Juan. I live in Guatemala, in the mountains. My town, San Pablo, has three huge volcanoes near it, and high cliffs all around it, and steep, bright green fields of corn and garlic and onions growing in the hills, and red coffee berries growing in the shade of the big trees in valleys."

The Bravest Flute
by Ann Grifalconi
The Story of Courage in the Mayan Tradition
Published 1994
Little Brown & Co.
My review can be found here.

I haven't found too many picture books out there (as yet) that are primarily about the Maya. This one is about a contemporary Maya village and gives some insight into the current traditions of the Maya.

FOLKTALES FOLKTALES FOLKTALES FOLKTALES FOLKTALES

How the Peacock Got its Feathers
Based on a Mayan Folktale
by Sandy Sepehri
Illustrated by Brian Demeter
Published Sept. 2006
Rourke Pub. (Vero Beach, FL)
32 pgs.
$28.50 ! ! ! (Library Bound? Small Press?)
PCPL has ONE COPY of it

Peahen has a beautiful voice, but wants the beauty of Chaac's (the rain god) feathers. So she steals them, and is punished by having to live with them permanently - and now only squacks instead of singing. Five highlighted vocabulary words and pronounciation of Mayan words in the glossary.

Illustrations are big, colorful, bold - not too detailed, but they appeal to my love of a "stained glass" look in art.

37. Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow - James Rollins

Published: April, 2009
For: Grades 5-8
404 pgs.
Rating: 4
$16.00
Harper Collins

This is a rip-roarin' adventure that will be enjoyed by many middle schoolers....I can see Ilan, Natalie, Eli. Jacob just eating this story up in one big gulp, then waiting anxiously for its sequel, Jake Ransom and the Howling Sphinx, to come out sometime in 2010.

I must admit, the story didn't latch onto me (or I didn't latch onto the story....) until about a third of the way in. But once we left the present and entered the world of Calypsos millions of years ago, I was hooked. I love the way Rollins wove historical and scientific facts into the telling of this mile-a-minute adventure tale. Good vs. Evil. Very evil...... And Mayans, and Romans, and Neanderthals, and prehistoric animals and special forces that allow everyone to speak their own language, but "all world" language takes over so that all can understand each other.

I'm going to include a review written by a student. He did it much better than I can:

"Jake Ransom is your (above) average boy next door. When he fits two halves of a Mayan coin into a hole in a museum exhibit, he and his sister are transported into a mixed-up ancient world of Mayans, Chinese, Romans, Neanderthals, super-cool alchemic crystals and, of course, good and evil. Even though the place may hold clues to his archeologist parents’ mysterious disappearance, Jake needs to find a way out -- unless, that is, the T-Rexes, giant scorpions, or the Skull King don’t slaughter him first. Jake Ransom and the Skull King’s Shadow is an excellent book with strong, intriguing characters, especially Jake’s sister, Kady, who helps him get out of some extreme fixes. The awesome plot and subtle humor kept me reading it until I finished it in one sitting. The downside? We’ve got to wait a whole year till the sequel, Jake Ransom and the Howling Sphinx.".........by Christian, age 12 (from the 6/20/09 Saturday Breakfast Book Club, PW)

And if you read the book, here are a couple of cool websites to check out: Harper Collins website with games and a quiz
and James Ransom's website with a You Tube interview about the book

21. The Most Beautiful Place in the World - Ann Cameron

Illustrator: Thomas B. Allen
1988
RL: 3.7 (age 7-10)
Perfect for beginning of 4th/Latin America
Rating: Good

Juan lives in the mountains in San Pablo, Guatemala. He is very poor and his story makes me so sad - seventeen-year-old mother, father abandons them, they go to live with grandmother and huge extended family in tiny home. Mother remarries and doesn't want him. Strict grandmother teaches him to shine shoes and at 7 years old earns a dollar a day working full time. He longs to go to school but is afraid to bring it up to his grandmother, so with the help of customers, teaches himself to read.

There's a shift in the story here. When he finally talks to his grandmother about school, the reader gets to see her a little differently, a little closer look, and the story becomes one of devotion and love while still working hard to survive.

Easy to read. Lots to think about. Poverty. Culture.

This could be a read aloud, create a picture book or mural or montage--endless possiblilities.