Mari and the Curse of El Cocodrilo

In 'Mari and the Curse of El Cocodrilo' by Adrianna Cuevas, Mari Feijoo, a young Cuban American girl, faces a curse of bad luck from El Cocodrilo after she refuses to participate in her family's tradition of burning the New Year’s Eve effigy. The curse initially manifests in minor disturbances but soon escalates, affecting her friends and threatening their last year of elementary school. As the curse worsens, Mari, along with her friends Keisha and Juan Carlos, must tap into her family’s ancestral powers to break the curse and save their friendship. This middle-grade novel explores themes of cultural identity, friendship, and resilience.