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Cemetery boys
2020
Where is it?
Fiction/Biography Profile
Characters
Yadriel (Male), His Latinx family has problems accepting his true gender; summons ghost who refuses to leave
Maritza (Female), Yadriel's cousin
Genre
Fiction
Domestic
Romance
Young adult
Witchcraft
Topics
Hispanics
Transgender
Family conflicts
Friendship
Witchcraft
Ghosts
Murder
Large Cover Image
Trade Reviews
Publishers Weekly Review
In Thomas's vibrant YA debut, Yadriel, a gay, trans 16-year-old, is determined to prove himself, as a brujo and as a boy, to the traditional brujx cemetery community he grew up in. After being denied his quinces and initiation rite as a brujo, Yadriel takes his fate in his own hands and performs the rite himself, unlocking his magical gifts. While seeking the lost spirit of his recently murdered 28-year-old cousin, Yadriel mistakenly summons the spirit of a recently departed schoolmate named Julian. Helping Julian to cross over would prove Yadriel's worth as a brujo to his family, but as Yadriel discovers the sort of kind, protective person Julian is, Yasriel may not be able to let him go. Thomas marries concept and execution in a romantic mystery as poignant as it is spellbinding, weaved in a mosaic of culture, acceptance, and identity, where intricately crafted characters are the pieces and love--platonic, romantic, familial, and communal--is the glue. Though the puzzles that Yadriel unravels can be guessed, the emotional journey is worth every step. Ages 13--up. Agent: Jennifer March Soloway, Andrea Brown Literary. (Sept.)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 7 Up--Sure, reading is rewarding, but here you'll want to listen in to share the delighted wonder of narrator Avi Roque and writer Thomas discussing their affirming #OwnVoices debuts as trans Latinx creators, a bonus at recording's end. Deservedly lauded and awarded all over the place, Thomas's assured first novel explores being caught between identities, cultures, expectations, childhood and adulthood, even life and death. Yadriel is an East L.A. trans boy in a brujx family that protects the cemetery they call home. At 16, he's beyond ready to join the men as a brujo, but his father won't acknowledge him as his son. With best friend Maritza's help, Yadriel covertly succeeds in completing his own initiation with Lady Death. When his cousin Miguel is presumed murdered, Yadriel attempts to summon his lost spirit, but dead (bad) boy Julian appears instead. Before anyone else dies, Yadriel, Maritza, and Julian need to figure out whodunit and whydunit before the Día de Muertos festivities send spirits to their final rest. Lively and engaged, Roque further enhances Thomas's thrilling supernatural charmer with Latinx fluency. VERDICT This ideal match between book and narrator should find multilayered resonance across YA audiences.--Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon, Washington, DC
Booklist Review
Yadriel lives with his family and his brujx community in a cemetery in East L.A., tending to the spirits of their ancestors, but he is unhappy and frustrated. Part of a very traditional Latinx community, his father doesn't want him to take part in the quince ceremony to become a full-fledged brujo, just because he's trans! One evening, with the help of his best friend, Maritza, he calls on Lady Death to bestow her blessing on him, providing the powers necessary to release spirits into the afterlife. But just as he finishes the rites, the whole community feels the loss of one of their own: Yadriel's cousin, Miguel. When Yadriel tries to find Miguel's spirit and its tether to the world, he instead summons an infuriating, yet alluring, young man named Julian, who has died under mysterious circumstances and who won't let his tether be severed until he can check in on his chosen family. Navigating terrifyingly real obstacles, Yadriel, Maritza, and Julian chase leads to find out how Julian died--including whether or not his disappearance is linked to Miguel's. Aiden Thomas' debut novel can't help but charm and captivate readers of all ages, though teen readers will invariably identify with and appreciate the high jinks and emotional vulnerability that make each character and scenario deliciously enchanting.
Horn Book Review
Unlike the rest of his family, Yadriel is kept from having a quinces, the traditional coming-of-age ceremony to become a brujo. Yadriel is trans and gay, i.e., "Head Black Sheep among the brujx." Despite his family's reluctance to even try and find out if gender identity will affect his abilities to guide spirits into the afterlife, Yadriel holds his own ceremony with the help of a fellow black sheep of the family (for her vegan principles, which preclude her using her healing magic), his cousin, Maritza. When another cousin meets an untimely death, Yadriel and Maritza seek answers of their own, teaming up with a mysterious spirit, Julian, who is also queer and has an unconventional found family. Packed with eerie adventure, tingly romance, and family drama, the novel lays bare the tension between upholding tradition and reaching full self-acceptance. Cheeky, relatable characters bring humor and lightness into Thomas's debut, which also takes on themes of death, loss, abandonment, and rejection. The natural integration of phrases in Spanish, Da de los Muertos traditions, and varied community structures showcases the broad range of experiences that make up Latinidad. Gabi K. Huesca January/February 2021 p.117(c) Copyright 2021. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A gay, transgender brujo with burgeoning powers seeks answers about his cousin's death. Sixteen-year-old Yadriel also wishes for acknowledgement from his community but unexpectedly finds himself entangled in the unresolved wishes of a strong-willed, good-looking spirit. He descends from a long line of brujx who have been granted magic power by Lady Death to heal the living and to guide spirits into the afterlife. Although he's grown up surrounded by a close-knit community, Yadriel feels alone, excluded indefinitely from a sacred rite of passage because he is transgender. When he senses that his cousin Miguel has died suddenly but the family can't locate him, Yadriel sees an opportunity to prove to everyone he's a true brujo by solving the mystery and releasing his cousin's lost spirit. His plan quickly falls apart, as he accidentally summons the spirit of Julian Diaz, a boy with unfinished business who died the same day as Miguel. Both the romance and mystery burn slow and hot until the climax. Stakes begin high, and the intensity only increases with a looming deadline and a constant risk that Julian might lose himself, turning maligno. The cast of characters represents a diversity of Latinx identities sharing a community in East Los Angeles. Julian is Colombian while Yadriel is Cuban and Mexican. Their romance provides joyful, ground-breaking representation for gay, transgender boys. Heart-pounding. (Fantasy. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Summary

A trans boy determined to prove his gender to his traditional Latinx family summons a ghost who refuses to leave in Aiden Thomas's New York Times -bestselling paranormal YA debut Cemetery Boys, described by Entertainment Weekly as "groundbreaking ."

Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can't get rid of him.

When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his true gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free.

However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school's resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He's determined to find out what happened and tie off some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.

Praise for Cemetery Boys:
Longlisted for the National Book Award
"The novel perfectly balances the vibrant, energetic Latinx culture while delving into heavy topics like LGBTQ+ acceptance, deportation, colonization, and racism within authoritative establishments." --TeenVogue.com

"This stunning debut novel from Thomas is detailed, heart-rending, and immensely romantic. I was bawling by the end of it, but not from sadness: I just felt so incredibly happy that this queer Latinx adventure will get to be read by other kids. Cemetery Boys is necessary: for trans kids, for queer kids, for those in the Latinx community who need to see themselves on the page. Don't miss this book." --Mark Oshiro, author of Anger is a Gift

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