Toro

by Andrew Avner

Overview

Mom's Choice Award - Gold

2020 NYC Big Book Award Winner - Best Audiobook

2020 NYC Big Book Award Distinguished Favorite - Juvenile Fiction

2020 Best Book Awards Finalist - Children's Fiction

"A charming and engaging fantasy with characters readers will love and a strong positive message." -Kirkus Reviews

"Great messages for young people of love, acceptance, gender empowerment, honesty, friendship, and going after what one wants abound in Toro, Andrew Avner's one-of-a-kind, animal-populated novel for middle readers." -IndieReader Approved

A story that evokes beloved films such as 'Babe' and 'Ratatouille'

Alicía Catalina Cortés is a fast and fiery Spanish cow who desperately wants to run with the bulls in Pamplona-but since she's a cow, tradition forbids her to partake in the fiesta of San Fermín. Through her journey, Alicía learns that to be noble and brave, she must follow her dream and her heart, even if it means defying tradition.

Toro is set in the colorful backdrop of Pamplona, Spain during the fiesta of San Fermín and the running of the bulls, famed as one of the most exhilarating, dangerous, and spectacular events around the world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781684335237
Publisher:	Black Rose Writing
Publication date:	09/17/2020
Pages:	142
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Andrew Avner graduated with honors from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film and Television. After working in Manhattan with Academy Award-winning producer David Brown, Avner relocated to Los Angeles to develop his own original material. He's currently writing and producing short films for The Walt Disney Company while penning the sequel to Toro. To learn more about the author and his work, please visit: www.andrewavner.com

Editorial Reviews

2020 Maxy Awards Runner-Up - Middle Grade

"A highly appealing novel for youngsters that delivers important messages and themes in an entertaining and charming style." -Sublime Book Review

"Engaging and inspirational for young readers" -LoveReading4Kids

"This is a great book!" -Bridget and the Books

"Dreams mix with the fantastic atmosphere of Pamplona...in this exciting adventure with unexpected and yet, inspiring characters, who won't easily be forgotten." -Bookworm for Kids

"A story that evokes beloved films such as Babe and Ratatouille." -For The Love of Audiobooks

From the Publisher

09/04/2020

Gr 3–6—Set in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Southern Spain, the story centers on Alicia Catalina Cortés, a heifer calf, who dreams of taking part in the encierro, the running of the bulls festival in Pamplona, and Diego Del Toro, a Spanish bull who yearns to be in a Texas rodeo. Alicia's overbearing father, who is one of the rare bulls to survive the festival, enforces gender stereotypes and tells her she needs to start acting like a cow. He offers her hand in marriage to the brutish Don Julian Hernandez, threatening her aspirations. When Diego Del Toro is chosen for the encierro, Alicia decides to trade places with him. Each of them will learn the true cost of fulfilling their dreams. Avner describes the running of the bulls festival in great detail. The text does rely on clichéd language at times, and the ubiquity of enforced gender roles may alienate readers. VERDICT A unique spin on the classic "trading places" tale.—Lisa Gieskes, Richland County P.L., Columbia, SC

School Library Journal

2020-06-08
A debut children’s book stars a bull and a heifer determined to follow their hearts and their dreams.

The season for the Running of the Bulls at the Feria del Toro in Pamplona, Spain, is quickly approaching. Only the finest bulls are selected for this prestigious event. The mother and sisters of Diego Del Toro are counting on him to bring honor to their herd. But Diego has other plans. His greatest desire is to become a rodeo bull. Meanwhile, on the other side of the ranch, there is another offspring of a great bull who wishes more than anything to run in Pamplona, to be considered “noble y bravo.” Unfortunately for Alicía Catalina Cortés, she is female. Swifter than her brothers, she is nonetheless forbidden by her father from going to Pamplona. Heifers are not allowed to participate in the Running of the Bulls. Even worse, Alicía’s father wants her to marry Don Julián Hernández, a frightening older bull. In front of Don Julián and Don Murciélago, Alicía falsely declares that she loves another, casually pointing her horns toward the field where Diego, whom she has yet to meet, is grazing. And in that moment of defiance, Alicía unknowingly unleashes a series of events that lead to adventure, romance, and almost certain death. Avner has a well-honed sense for both the dramatic and the humorous in this enchanting fantasy. When a domineering Don Julián meets the feisty and independent Alicía in a field, she so angers him that he charges her, knocking her into the air. As she lands, Diego happens to come running around the bend and collides with Don Julián, knocking him out. The two lovers-to-be run away, bickering, bantering, and sharing their dreams. In true Hollywood fashion, each has a best friend to aid in the coming misadventures. Diego has the irrepressible Jesús de los Jabalíes, an Iberian hog, and Alicía has the imperious Doña Madonna de Doñana, an Iberian lynx. Both are delightful secondary characters. Everyone winds up in Pamplona, where the action scenes become riveting. The appealing story has plenty of animated film potential.

A charming and engaging fantasy with characters readers will love and a strong positive message.

Kirkus Reviews