Me, Frida, and the Secret of the Peacock Ring

Paloma is less than thrilled when her mother gets the opportunity to study in Mexico for the summer.  All her plans for hanging out by the pool with her friends are blown, and she brings little more than a Spanish vocabulary book, a new mystery about her favorite girl detective, and a bad attitude.

Shortly after arriving, however, she discovers Frida Kahlo, who also happens to be her father's favorite artist.  Her father died when she was three, and Paloma has spent most of her life trying to connect with him and her Mexican roots.

At first, she thinks Frida is strange.  (Tweezers, hello!)  But the more she studies the artist's work, the more she begins to connect with her and her work.

The first night in Mexico, she meets twins, Lizzie and Gael, who bring her into an intriguing mystery.  They believe Frida designed a gem-studded peacock ring before she died--maybe her last work.  They also believe the ring is missing and in danger of being lost to the people of Mexico.  Paloma is intrigued and takes a leaf from her favorite girl detective to help solve the mystery of the missing peacock ring.

Angela Cervantes's new book is her best to date.  The mystery is simple but interesting, and many kids with parents from different cultures will understand Paloma's struggle to connect.  Perhaps the best aspect of the novel is the way Cervantes weaves in details about Frida Kahlo who becomes a living character to Paloma.  This book will certainly spur readers to explore more about the artist's life and work.  Recommended.