Maximilian & the Mystery of the Guardian Angel: A Bilingual Lucha Libre Thriller

Pura Belpré Author Award Honor - American Library Association (ALA)

A Pura Belpré Author Honor Award winner

Una Pura Belpré Premio de Autor Infantil (Libro de Honor)

Maximillian's summer vacation resembles one of his beloved lucha libre movies: grudge matches, fantastic villains and the Guardian Angel.

Las vacaciones de verano de Maximillian se parece a una de sus queridas películas de lucha libre: partidos de rencor, villanos fantásticos y el Ángel Guardián.

Maximillian is just another 11-year-old lucha libre fan. He goes to the matches, watches the movies and collects the masks of his favorite wrestlers, especially the Guardian Angel. But when he tumbles over the railing at a lucha libre match in San Antonio, Max makes a connection to the world of Mexican wrestling that will ultimately link him--maybe by blood! --to the greatest hero of all time: The Guardian Angel. What was shaping up to be one boring summer before 6th grade now seems like a story straight out of Max's beloved lucha libre movies!

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Un cuento bilingüe, ganador de Pura Belpré. Maximillian es solo otro fan de lucha libre de 11 años. Él va a los partidos, mira las películas y colecciona las máscaras de sus luchadores favoritos, especialmente el Ángel Guardian. Pero cuando cae por la barandilla en un combate de lucha libre en San Antonio, Max hace una conexión con el mundo de la lucha mexicana, que finalmente lo vinculará, tal vez por sangre! --Al héroe más grande de todos los tiempos: El Ángel Guardian.

Born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley, author and lucha libre aficionado Xavier Garza is a prolific and enthusiastic author, artist, and storyteller. His work focuses primarily on his experiences growing up in the small border town of Rio Grande City and is a lively documentation of the dreams, superstitions, and heroes in the bigger-than-life world of South Texas. Garza has exhibited his art and performed his stories in venues throughout Texas, Arizona, and the state of Washington. He has authored and illustrated fourteen books, and has received such prestigious awards as the Americas Honor Book Award, the Tejas Star Book Award, and the Pura Belpré Honor Book award. Garza was awarded both the NAACS Tejas Young Adult Book Award and the Texas Institute of Letters Children's Book Award, and in 2019, Garza was inducted into the prestigious Texas Institute of Letters. He lives in San Antonio, Texas, with his wife Irma and their teen son, Vincent.

Xavier Garza is a prolific author, artist, and storyteller whose work is a lively documentation of the dreams, superstitions, and heroes in the bigger-than-life world of South Texas. Garza has exhibited his art and performed his stories in venues throughout Texas, Arizona, and Washington state. He is also celebrated for his bilingual lucha libre picture books and chapter books, including the award-winning, four-book Max's Lucha Libre Adventures series. Garza lives with his family in San Antonio, Texas.