The Case of the Three Kings/El caso de los reyes

Vicente follows The Missing Chancleta and Other Top Secret Cases with a second bilingual entry in the Flaca Files series. Flaca, who thinks of herself as Detective Flaca, is none too pleased when her parents surprise her with a Christmas trip to Puerto Rico, where they will celebrate Los Reyes Magos (Three Kings Day) with her grandmother. She doesn’t like flying, her older sister is a pest, and cockroaches and noisy roosters don’t improve matters once Flaca and her family arrive. The mystery is somewhat slight—like a kid who wonders what Santa’s motives really are, Flaca is determined to uncover the truth about this unfamiliar-to-her holiday—but Vicente gives her heroine a fiery personality, and her clashes with her older sister, aka “La Bruja,” will feel familiar to plenty of younger siblings. Ages 8–12. (May)