A modern adaptation of Don Quixote set-in modern-day Texas with a female knight and told in the graphic novel format. Lucia is a young knight in training along with her best friend Sandro, a ballerino in training, she is on a quest to keep her town safe from the supernatural forces all around them the only problem being that no one else can see them.
This was a delightfully vibrant graphic novel. I loved the combination of the original story along with Mexican culture and myths. I was cheering for Lucia and Sandro right from the beginning and only grew to love them more and more as the story went on. Overall, a wonderful graphic novel retelling everyone should read regardless of age.
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this modern twist on the Don Quixote tale! Absolutely great characters in Lucia and Sandro, and the illustrations were delightful. This one is going to be hugely popular on our graphic novels shelf. Can’t wait to read more from Rey Terciero!

My students eat up graphic novels the moment I put them on the shelve. This one will be no different. The illustrations just glow while jumping off the pages.

I have been fascinated with the story of Don Quixote for a while, so a graphic novel with a modern twist on the story was too good not to pass up! Lucia and her friend, Sandro, are not exactly normal, but when Lucia finds a magical helmet her grandfather had, she begins to see magical things and people really think she’s crazy! These adventures and funny but also frustrating as Lucia continues to be misunderstood even by her family. Kids will love this story!

Lucia is the heroine to watch. She's bold and brave learning to believe in herself when others are laughing at her efforts. Sandro is the perfect side-kick coming in clutch when Lucia needs his friendship the most. This story goes through a whirl of emotions through the adventures and quests of a knight-errant. Great for lovers of classic retellings.

Thoroughly enjoyable book. The art work is top notch. I read it to my son who said some parts were scary but he wanted me to keep reading. There are a number of legendary and supernatural creatures throughout the story but they are presented in a way that I felt was not too scary for upper elementary aged readers. There are some short phrases that are only in Spanish so I would recommend a translation app if you are unfamiliar with Spanish.

This despite being fantastical, this book is so grounded; Lucia's struggles are so relatable. We're not all tasked with fighting the supernatural, but the questions of "How do I be a good daughter?" "How do I best serve my community?" "How do I reconcile my imagine of someone, with someone else's version of them?" There's a lot more to this book than just a fun adventure story...

I was not familiar with all the supernatural creatures in this book, which is a rare delight for me.

The illustrations and color are eye catching and sure to draw in middle schoolers.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to recommend it to my readers!

This is a fun retelling of Don Quixote with several changes; the main character is a girl named Lucia, and she wants to be a knight like her grandfather, even though her family and the town think her grandfather was imagining all the creatures he talked about fighting. When the major begins a project that could put the town in danger, Lucia, after finding her abuelo's magic helmet and her best friend try to save the day.

This book will be up for awards next year, and will deserve them. This MG graphic novel takes place in Laredo, TX and put Latinx characters at the center of the hero's quest. The well-illustrated and well=written story has plenty of action to keep even the most reluctant reader engaged.

This is a delight, a wonderful mix of Hispanic literary history and modern fantasy! Amazing one I cannot wait to add to my middle school classroom library, especially for all the Spanish language it contains, and the main characters and what they want to be, and the strength of their friendship!

This was a fun retelling of the classic tale Don Quixote with several changes, including a young girl named Lucia being the protagonist. Our main character longs to be a knight like her grandfather, even though her family and the town think her grandfather was imagining all the creatures and spirits he talked about fighting. When the mayor begins to launch a project that could put the town in danger, Lucia and her best friend, the ever supportive ballerino try to save the day.

There was so much I loved about this book. First, the trend that is going on with modernizing classics is amazing! This book tackles many of the same topics as the original, along with others like immigration, gender stereotypes, and more.

My favorite character was Lucia’s grandmother. She was a wonderful encouragement to Lucia, even if she didn’t fully understand what the specifics were. She preserved in her own goal and was there for her family too. I also liked how Lucia’s best friend, Sandro causally defied gender norms by loving ballet. While it was a point of contention for his family, he was always sure of his love of ballet and who he was. It made him an incredible knight sidekick to Lucia too! Also, loved the donkey sidekick!

Lucia discovers her grandfather knows monsters exist. Lucia explores whether her grandfather is telling the truth or is crazy, as the town believes. Lucia becomes a monster hunting knight, following in her grandfather's footsteps.

I read this book in one sitting and enjoyed every minute of it!

The story hits on so much that middle grade students are looking for in a book: supernatural beings, cryptozoology, magic, saving the day when people don't believe in you, the love of family and friends,. The art work in this graphic novel makes the book even that more amazing. The creatures from Mexican folklore come to life with Terciero's full-color illustrations. This is definitely a great way to introduce students to Don Quixote in an accessible format.

Thank you to Rey Terciero for creating Doña Quixote: Rise of the Knight, and to #NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this as an ARC. I'm already looking forward to a second book in the series.

Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, for letting me read this graphic novel in advance. I have alwasy been fascinated with the supernatural, and this book brings so many to life. Lucia loves her abuelo and his stories of being a night. Lucia wants to be a knight and she has her best friend and neighbor train with her, so they can fight evil. This book touches on so many topics, such as recycling, wanting to be someone you are not and being your true self. My students are going to love this graphic novel.

This graphic novel takes on the story of Don Quixote of La Mancha to a modern setting in Laredo, Texas, where a young girl called Lucia dreams of becoming a knight. Her head filled with the stories her abuelo told her since she was a baby, she refuses to follow the rest of the town in considering him crazy, also ignoring that her own mother thinks the same, and spurred on by her supportive abuela and her loyal bestie, ballet dancer Sandro, she goes around town mounted on her "loyal steed" Rocky, causing a variety of messes that get her grounded as punishment. One day, she finds her abuelo's old knightly helmet, lance, and shield in the attic, that render her magically able to see the supernatural creatures that inhabit the town and thus confirm what she already believed: her abuelo was telling the truth, he really was a knight defending the world from supernatural evils.

Now that she can see the invisible magical creatures, she mistakenly thinks the must do as her abuelo and rid her town of them, and egged on by a ghostly woman only known as La mujer de blanco (The woman in white), she does. Or rather, she tries too earnestly, causing even more chaos and mayhem in town because, it turns out, all those creatures she attacks are benign and have no bad intentions towards humans. Except one, the one Lucia least expects. That one is the evil knight-in-training Lucia and her squire Sandro must vanquish if they have to save their town and the world.

It sounds like a cute story, doesn't it? And I imagine it will be for most. But I'm going to be an outlier here and state that this graphic novel, while fun and I'm sure well-intentioned, made me feel very uncomfortable. There'll be spoilers from here on, so beware.

[The rest of the review is posted to my page due to spoilers]

I thought this was a fantastic middle grade graphic novel and reimagining of Don Quixote! Latinx lit
I appreciated the author's addition of pages with background information about the monsters and the author's note and nots about the original story. This is a fun way for kids to learn about some of the old classics and older tales that have been significant to literature and history. The illustrations were bright and bold. The illustrator did an excellent job of using differing styles when Lucia switched from having the helmet on to off.
Lucia was a great main character with great personality and flaws to work through over the course of the story. She had great character growth. The addition of some Spanish in the text made it more authentic, and the subplot with Abuela taking her citizenship test is a great conversation opener about immigration. Most of the side characters were well done, though I personally thought Sandro and his family were a bit overdone, but overall this was a great middle grade graphic novel with Latinx representation, and a great story that kids are going to love!

A retelling of Don Quixote by Rey Terciero and @monicam_art
⚔️
Lucia Castillo grew up learning how to be a knight from her abuelo. Now that he’s passed away, she’s even more determined to train for knighthood, but her mom is getting frustrated with her antics. Together with her BFF, Sandro, they discover the mayor isn’t who he says he is. After finding her abuelo’s magical helmet Lucia can finally see the magic he talked about to her growing up. Even when the entire town turns on her, can Lucia save the day?
⚔️
2023 is going to be Rex Ogle’s year. I can’t believe the amount of graphic novels he has releasing and how amazing each and every one of them is. The author’s note at the end, especially, shares why Latinx representation is so important. This MG graphic novel takes place in Laredo, TX and puts Latinx characters at the center of a hero’s quest—something we need to see more of in literature. I can’t wait for this title to release September 5!

CW: death of a grandparent (off page), immigration issues, bullying, violence, homophobia, misogyny

A graphic novel and modernized retelling of Don Quixote. Opens with Lucia and her Abuelo in the park and the mystery of what happened to him. The city calls him “Abuelo Loco” and in his passing continually shamed as the novel progresses. Lucia experiences a journey of finding her values and persevering through “trusting the feeling in her tummy.” Super cute story and loved the addition of mythical creatures.

I absolutely LOVED this graphic novel retelling of Don Quixote. Girl Knight, her trusted best friend (and Ballerino) by her side, fighting against monsters that no one can see but her. Fighting for her family and what she believes in, when no one else believes her. They all think they are crazy like her late Abuelo. I really liked learning about all the monsters of Mexican lore. The author includes pages explaining each one’s background, along with incredible illustrations. The illustrations for this GN were beautiful. I really liked how she was able to shift from the regular world to the supernatural with bright vibrant colors. I hope there’s another one in this series. Kids are going to scoop this one up!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Rey Teciero and the publisher of the book for the eARC copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Everyone in Lucia's town think her grandpa was a nut. She thought he was the brave knight he told her he was. After he dies, Lucia is left with more questions. Was he really a knight or was he really crazy? Lucia is determined to find out with the help of her best friend Sandro! Lucia soon finds her grandfather's knight helmet that allows her to see these monsters that only he could see. It's up to Lucia and Sandro to finish her grandfather's job and save their town.

I loved this fun twist on "Don Quixote" for younger readers. I think Lucia is a fantastic and strong-willed young woman. It is nice to see a young girl character that is not like everyone else because our young people are not like each other.
I will purchase a copy of this book for my classroom when it comes out!

This was a fantastic read! Already I am a fan of the classic "Don Quixote" and love to find books that will help introduce young readers into the world of classic literature. This book will surely provide a speedy path to such a love. The illustrations are gorgeous and remind me of 2000s Disney cartoons. Rey Terciero has done a wonderful job putting a unique twist on the classic tale, while also keeping important elements.