Levine Querido (Chronicle Books). Published May 5, 2026.
Recommended for ages 16 and older.
Reviewed by: Alma Ramos-McDermott
Category: Young Adult
Rating: 5 stars
When a teen girl is murdered in the city of Rosario, Argentina, an angel is sent to collect her soul, but her body hasn’t yet been discovered, and she doesn’t remember her name. To help her remember while they waited, the angel told her the story of a band called Río Babel which she had been on her way to hear when she was killed. Though it had been fifty years since she’d last been with them, the angel had never forgotten. A piece of her soul would forever be tied to their famous song.
In 1976, teen brothers Daniel and Adrián felt the pulse and beat of music in their souls. After a truck full of pigs crashed near their home and were slaughtered by the hungry people, Adrián wrote a song about it. With Daniel’s melody, it transfixed everyone who heard it. At the time, Argentinians were suffering under the brutal heel of an authoritarian government, so it was easy for the public to believe it was about the police and their heavy-handed treatment. The band was thrilled to hear their song on everyone’s lips, thinking it would rocket them to stardom. Instead of fame, the band found themselves in the crosshairs of those cleansing the country from people who make music that moves souls.
I was filled with sorrow as I read. Death narrated horrors in Zusak’s “The Book Thief.” So, too, does the angel describing how the brutal regime imprisoned, tortured, murdered, and disappeared tens of thousands. I wasn’t surprised to learn the U.S. knew about this brutal dictatorship, funding them with millions. It’s not a secret the U.S. was involved in destabilizing Latin American governments since the 19th century. During the Cold War, authoritarians had their financial backing to prevent communism from reaching its shores.
This would make an excellent book to include in a high school book club as well as one for Adults, as it has much to discuss. In 2021, the author won the first Young Adult Pura Belpré award ever given for her book “Furia.” I believe this book will net her another one when winners are announced in January 2027. You read it here first.
Highly recommended for ages 16 and older.
I received an advanced e-reading copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Note: This review was originally published on You Decide: Should I read it or not?
Reproduced here as a courtesy to Alma Ramos-McDermott.
