Books with author Xavier Garza

Everybody’s fighting in Maximilian’s world: a couple of cranky tías who, like lucha libre rudos, will stop at nothing to triumph in the church’s lotería game; his masked uncles going for the tag-team title of the world, and a green-eyed vixen named Paloma who challenges his love for Cecilia Cantú. Will good triumph over evil? Max sure hopes so!Winner of the NACCS-Tejas Foco Young Adult Fiction Book Award and the Texas Institute of Letters H-E-B Award for Best Children's Book. 2014-15 Tejas Star Reading List Selection.Maximilian & the Bingo Rematch is the sequel to Maximilian & the Mystery of the Guardian Angel, an honor book for the Pura Belpre Award. Xavier Garza rules the ring when it comes to writing and illustrating action-packed, high-interest books filled with crazy comic-book art and set in the emotionally charged world of sixth grade.Xavier Garza was born in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. He is an enthusiastic author, artist, teacher, 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 the state of Washington. He lives with his wife and son in San Antonio, Texas.

Joe Lopez is in seventh grade, and he dreams of being an artist as good and successful as his grandfather. He's thrilled when the new art teacher compliments him on his pencil drawings of roosters and offers to teach him how to paint with oils. She even suggests that he might want to enter his piece in the county fairStill thinking about the possibility of painting with oils and not just kids' tempera paint, Joe and his best friend Gary see Luis, a chubby sixth grader, running down the hall. Soon they see why he's running: Martin Corona, the school s biggest bully, is in hot pursuit. They watch as he slams Luis against the lockers and demands money. Much to his surprise, Joe finds himself defending Luis. Luckily, the vice principal shows up just in time to rescue both Luis and Joe.Reluctant to be a tattletale, Joe tries to avoid Martin and his gang. Even though he knows it's just a matter of time before Martin exacts his revenge, fear doesn t keep him from going to football games and trying to impress the girl he likes. And when he meets Martin Corona under the bleachers after school one day, it's a conversation with his Grandpa Jessie about la lucha-or everyone s individual fight-that helps Joe and his friends not only survive the encounter, but put the bully in his place.This bilingual flip book for intermediate readers also includes Garza s black and white sketches depicting bullies, heroes and the roosters that Joe loves to draw. Award-winning author and illustrator Xavier Garza once again writes an action-packed novel that will appeal to all young teens.

Santa Claus, that jolly old outsourcer, enlists his primo Pancho to deliver presents along the Texas–Mexico border. Pancho's young nephew Vincente stows away in the present sack, hoping to get a taste of the gift-giving action. All Christmas Eve, they work their magic, not letting rain or cloudy skies or wire fences keep them from covering every inch of their newly assigned territory.A native of the Rio Grande Valley, Xavier Garza is a prolific author, artist, teacher, and storyteller whose work is a lively documentation of life, dreams, superstitions, and heroes in the bigger-than-life world of south Texas. His book Maximilian & the Mystery of the Guardian Angel was a Pura Belpré Author Honor Book in 2012.

“Even Santa Claus sends the jobs he is unable or unwilling to do to Mexico...in this colorful storybook by local author-illustrator Xavier Garza...The simple South Texas Christmas tale is printed in both English and Spanish, allowing for several different bilingual reading opportunities...Charro Claus is the perfect gift for the children of your Minute Men relatives.” —San Antonio Current, Nov. 19, 2008Let’s welcome Santa’s newest helper: his cousin Pancho, a farmer living down in South Texas who is so smart he speaks both Spanish and English. Back in the day, Pancho was a mariachi singer with a whole lot of style and a fancy sombrero. But as the years passed, Pancho got, well, a little older and a little wider all around. Then one night his primo Santa Claus showed up. Santa needed some help along the US/Mexico border. Pancho volunteered. And then, poof, Santa transformed Pancho into the resplendent Charro Claus with his incredible Flying Burritos. And Charro Claus, it turns out, even had his own surprise elf—his nephew Vincente!All Christmas Eve, Vincente and Pancho deliver toys to the boys and girls on the border. Neither rain, cloudy skies, wire fences, or concrete walls keep them from covering every inch of their newly assigned territory. And they don’t forget a single town or city. How could they? The border is their home.A native of the Rio Grande Valley, Xavier Garza is a prolific author, artist, teacher, 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 lives with his wife and son in San Antonio, Texas, and is the author of five books. His book Maximilian & the Mystery of the Guardian Angel was a Pura Belpré Author Honor Book in 2012.

Zulema Ortiz is the meanest little girl in the whole wide world. She doesn't have any friends, animals run away from her in fear, and her mom doesn't know what to do with her. But maybe, just maybe, her almost ninety-year-old Grandma Sabina does. When Grandma Sabina comes to live with the family, the first thing Zulema says to her is, ''You sure look old and ugly.'' Grandma Sabina calmly warns her rude granddaughter about the Witch Owl who prowls the night looking for mean little children, but Zulema just laughs defiantly at such a preposterous story. Nothing scares her because she's the meanest child in the world! So when she gets into bed one night and something begins to tap at her window, Zulema isn't afraid at first. She's mad. ''Nobody plays tricks on me. Only I can play tricks!'' But as the noise at her window continues, the insolent little girl begins to lose her bravado. And when a huge owl with glowing red eyes smashes through the window and swoops into her room, Zulema is ready to agree to its demands even if it means promising to be nice! In this exciting story about the consequences of being mean to others, Zulema learns something about herself and possibly her grandmother too. The imagination of children ages 4-9 will soar with this fun, suspenseful story by acclaimed author and artist Xavier Garza, whose knack for storytelling and creating lively illustrations captures the spirit of naughty Zulema.

The fights still rage on in the third installation of Max's Lucha Libre Adventures series. Max seems like any other nerdy kid until he's asked to join the Lucha Libre Club. The super-secret club admits only the offspring of wrestling royalty. And Max is a prince, descended through his mother from royal blood, his uncle the very king of lucha libre: The Guardian Angel. Trouble is, the club is so secret that Max can't tell his best friend or girlfriend what he is up to. Just that vexing girl, Paloma.Xavier Garza lives in San Antonio, Texas.

Cousins Maya and Vincent are thrilled to be ring side at a lucha libre match. Kid Cyclone, the wrestling world’s favorite hero who also happens to be the kids’ beloved uncle, is facing off against a devil-masked opponent, El Diablo. “No masked devil can beat my uncle. Not even the real devil himself,” declares Maya. But the real devil doesn’t take kindly to such disrespect, and soon Kid Cyclone finds himself fighting the most hellish challenger of all!Popular kids’ book author Xavier Garza returns with another collection of stories featuring spooky characters from Mexican-American folklore. There’s a witch that takes the shape of a snake in order to poison and punish those who disregard her warnings; green-skinned, red-eyed creatures called Chupacabras that suck the blood from wild pigs, but would just as soon suck the blood from a human who has lost his way in the night; a young girl disfigured in a fire set by a scorned lover who gets her revenge as the Donkey Lady; and the Elmendorf Beast, said to have the head of a wolf with skin so thick it’s impervious to shotgun blasts.Accompanied by the author’s striking illustrations of the creepy creatures, the hair-raising stories in this bilingual collection for kids ages 8 - 12 are sure to lure even the most reluctant readers into its pages.

Everybody’s fighting in Maximilian’s world: a couple of cranky tías who, like lucha libre rudos, will stop at nothing to triumph in the church’s lotería game; his masked uncles going for the tag-team title of the world, and a green-eyed vixen named Paloma who challenges his love for Cecilia Cantú. Will good triumph over evil? Max sure hopes so!Winner of the NACCS-Tejas Foco Young Adult Fiction Book Award and the Texas Institute of Letters H-E-B Award for Best Children's Book. Winner of the NACCS-Tejas Foco Young Adult Fiction Book Award and the Texas Institute of Letters H-E-B Award for Best Children's Book. 2014-15 Tejas Star Reading List Selection.Maximilian & the Bingo Rematch is the sequel to Maximilian & the Mystery of the Guardian Angel, an honor book for the Pura Belpre Award. Xavier Garza rules the ring when it comes to writing and illustrating action-packed, high-interest books filled with crazy comic-book art and set in the emotionally charged world of sixth grade.Xavier Garza was born in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. He is an enthusiastic author, artist, teacher, 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 the state of Washington. He lives with his wife and son in San Antonio, Texas.

Maximilian's been nuts about lucha libre his whole life. But he's not just a nerdy middle schooler―three years ago, he discovered that he's part of lucha libre royalty! His uncle is the most famous luchador, the Guardian Angel. But now, the masked hero is facing a wild new wrestler who might just topple him from his lucha libre throne. The Fallen Angel may be the most reckless and arrogant wrestler the Guardian Angel has ever had to face, and he's no longer in his prime. Age affects everyone, even the man behind the celebrated mask. Max, being next in the royal line of luchadores, thinks he might have to take over as the Guardian Angel sooner than he'd ever dreamed!Maximilian and the Curse of the Fallen Angel is the fourth in the "Max's Lucha Libre Adventures" series. Catch up on the adventures: 1―Maximilian and the Mystery of the Guardian Angel2―Maximilian and the Bingo Rematch3―Maximilian and the Lucha Libre ClubMaximilian ha sido fanático de la lucha libre desde chiquito. Pero es más que un fan―hace tres años descubrió que es parte de la realeza de la lucha libre. Su tío es el luchador más famoso, ¡el Ángel Guardián! Pero ahora, el héroe enmascarado tiene que enfrentar un nuevo luchador loco, y puede ser que el villano lo eche de su trono. El Ángel Caído es posiblemente el luchador más temerario y arrogante que el Ángel Guardián ha enfrentado, y ya no esta en la plenitud de la vida. La edad afecta a todos, incluyendo el hombre atrás de la macara tan celebrada. Max, siendo el siguiente en la línea real de luchadores, piensa que tal vez tendrá que ponerse la mascara del Ángel Guardián pronto, ¡pero apenas tiene catorce años!

Max seems like any other nerdy kid until he's asked to join the ranks of royalty, the Lucha Libre Club.The fights still rage on in the third installation of Max's Lucha Libre Adventures series. Max seems like any other nerdy kid until he's asked to join the Lucha Libre Club. The super-secret club admits only the offspring of wrestling royalty. And Max is a prince, descended through his mother from royal blood, his uncle the very king of lucha libre: The Guardian Angel. Trouble is, the club is so secret that Max can't tell his best friend or girlfriend what he is up. Just that vexing Paloma.Xavier Garza lives in San Antonio, Texas.

Joe López is in seventh grade, and he dreams of being an artist as good and successful as his grandfather. He’s thrilled when the new art teacher compliments him on his pencil drawings of roosters and offers to teach him how to paint with oils. She even suggests that he might want to enter his piece in the county fair!Still thinking about the possibility of painting with oils and not just kids’ tempera paint, Joe and his best friend Gary see Luis, a chubby sixth grader, running down the hall. Soon they see why he’s running: Martin Corona, the school’s biggest bully, is in hot pursuit. They watch as he slams Luis against the lockers and demands money. Much to his surprise, Joe finds himself defending Luis. Luckily, the vice principal shows up just in time to rescue both Luis and Joe. Reluctant to be a tattletale, Joe tries to avoid Martin and his gang. Even though he knows it’s just a matter of time before Martin exacts his revenge, fear doesn’t keep him from going to football games and trying to impress the girl he likes. And when he meets Martin Corona under the bleachers after school one day, it’s a conversation with his Grandpa Jessie about la lucha—or everyone’s individual fight—that helps Joe and his friends not only survive the encounter, but put the bully in his place.

Vincent Ventura wakes up one night to the sound of screeching tires outside his bedroom window. He looks out and sees a man and a girl about his age rush into the rent house at 666 Duende Street. Before closing the front door, the man scans the sky as if he's looking for something. Oddly, they don't turn on any lights and the house remains pitch black, as if no one were home. Suddenly, Vincent notices something white in the tree in front of the house. Is it ... a blanket? But when it spreads its wings, he realizes it s an enormous white owl! Two more land in the tree. And when the three owls land on the ground as women dressed in black, he knows there s another monster mystery to solve! That week in art class, Vincent meets his mysterious new neighbor, Zulema Ortiz. She s obsessed with drawing owls. A coincidence? Vincent thinks not. He also notices she has the unusual habit of turning her entire head to look at things, just like owls do. When she tells him they are from a city in Mexico known as the witchcraft capital of the world, Vincent is even more convinced there are witch owls roosting in nearby trees! Once again enlisting the aid of his cousins Michelle and Bobby, monster fighter extraordinaire Vincent Ventura is determined to get to the bottom of the puzzle surrounding his unusual new friend. The second installment in Garza s exciting new Monster Fighter Mystery series, this bilingual book for intermediate readers also contains the author s dramatic black and white illustrations. This spine-tingling short novel introducing Latino creepy creatures to kids ages 8-12 is sure to thrill a new generation of readers!