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Elatsoe is published by Levine Querido, a small, independent press of children's literature.
Elatsoe is a beautifully written book, and Rovina Cai's illustrations are the perfect accompaniment. The central plot is relatively straightforward: mysterious murder, creepy town, revenge v justice, but it's well-crafted and the worldbuilding led to some truly wonderful moments, like Ellie's mom revoking the vampire's invitation, and Ellie slipping into the trilobite's underworld. I could read a dozen stories set in this world, but Elatsoe works well as a standalone.
I'm trying to find a way to describe how intrinsic Ellie's Lipan Apache heritage is without sounding either obvious ('Wow, this Native character is, like, Native') or exoticizing ('Ooh, look at all the cool Native culture') so I'll just barrel forward and do my best: This book could not have happened if Ellie and her family weren't Lipan Apache; their heritage and history is crucial to both character and plot. I don't know enough about the Lipan Apache to say what, if any, myths may have been referenced in the story, but it didn't matter because so much of what was important was the history of this particular family.
The friendships and familial relationships were cute, and I really enjoyed Ellie as a character.
Elatsoe is a beautifully written book, and Rovina Cai's illustrations are the perfect accompaniment. The central plot is relatively straightforward: mysterious murder, creepy town, revenge v justice, but it's well-crafted and the worldbuilding led to some truly wonderful moments, like Ellie's mom revoking the vampire's invitation, and Ellie slipping into the trilobite's underworld. I could read a dozen stories set in this world, but Elatsoe works well as a standalone.
I'm trying to find a way to describe how intrinsic Ellie's Lipan Apache heritage is without sounding either obvious ('Wow, this Native character is, like, Native') or exoticizing ('Ooh, look at all the cool Native culture') so I'll just barrel forward and do my best: This book could not have happened if Ellie and her family weren't Lipan Apache; their heritage and history is crucial to both character and plot. I don't know enough about the Lipan Apache to say what, if any, myths may have been referenced in the story, but it didn't matter because so much of what was important was the history of this particular family.
The friendships and familial relationships were cute, and I really enjoyed Ellie as a character.
