Parents' Guide to

All the Crooked Saints

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Lovely, lyrical family story explores miracles and music.

Book Maggie Stiefvater Folklore 2017
All the Crooked Saints Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

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age 14+

Based on 1 parent review

Chnelson
Chnelson Adult
March 12, 2018
age 14+

A little folklore and Spanish language

As a foreign language educator, I look for books that will sneak in learning as my students are having fun reading. This one does a good job, but was hard to get into at first because of all the characters being introduced. Loved the folklore that was added in and the fact that it took place in the 60’s. One of the minor characters in the middle of the book is said to have a relationship with another woman and to have kissed. Probably the most risqué thing in the book.

This title has:

Educational value
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What's the Story?

In ALL THE CROOKED SAINTS, the titular saints are the Soria family, who live in the tiny San Luis Valley desert town of Bicho Raro, Colorado, and can perform miracles for a steady stream of pilgrims who visit them. Every generation of Sorias has a main saint, and in 1962 the saint is 20-year-old Daniel, whose best friends are his cousins Beatriz, 18, and Joaquin, 16. Together, the three of them broadcast a pirate radio show from a truck that brilliant Beatriz has tricked out. When pilgrims visit Bicho Raro, a saint helps them by performing one miracle, which rids them of darkness (whether its shame, greed and guilt, or something worse), which becomes manifest in some way. It's up to the pilgrims to perform the second miracle, but until that happens, the Sorias and the pilgrims can't interact without great harm to the family. Into this supernatural village enters young and earnest Pete, who hopes to barter work for a truck, and Tony, a famous DJ from back East in need of a miracle. Things get complicated when Daniel reveals he's in love with a pilgrim (strictly against the rules) and disappears into the desert.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1):
Kids say (2):

Lyrical and evocative, this period magical-realism novel follows a Mexican-American family of saints and the pilgrims they transform with miracles. Like author Maggie Stiefvater's previous settings of Mercy Falls, Thisby, and Henrietta, Bicho Raro and its surrounding desert come alive in the story. As with all of her locales, there's a deep, rich history to the Soria family's home, and through Pete, readers will feel the deep connection to the supernatural surroundings, the cousins, and the various pilgrims waiting for their second miracles. Each of the main characters in All the Crooked Saints has his or her own story arc and point of view, but it's really Pete and the trio of young Sorias -- Beatriz, Joaquin, and Daniel -- who drive the action and provide the most insight on the journey of saints and pilgrims.

There's a lot for readers to unpack as the historical fiction blends several themes with the reality of rock 'n' roll's early days, back when the radio DJ was king. The Soria cousins' illegal radio broadcasts are alternately funny and touching, with mentions of songs and artists teens may never have heard of (with the exception of Elvis Presley), but that's part of the appeal. This isn't a quick read. The language and story take time to savor and understand. For example, some of the pilgrims' darkness is easy to interpret -- a priest with a coyote head is obviously dealing with a predatory, ugly side to himself; while twins bound by a two-headed snake must learn to be truthful and work together. Other pilgrims (and the saints too) aren't as easy to figure out, and the romance is beautifully understated, like Puck and Sean's in The Scorpio Races. This is a book that demands a close reading, and it's refreshingly different from the author's previous paranormal series.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how All the Crooked Saints compares with Maggie Stiefvater's other best-sellers. Do you prefer her stand-alones like this one and The Scorpio Races, or her series?

  • This book is primarily about Mexican-American characters, but the author is not Mexican or Latino. How does the author's identity affect a book's authenticity? Does it matter?

  • Talk about the various kinds of diversity in the novel. Why are diverse representations important in children's and young adult literature?

  • Who's a role model in All the Crooked Saints? What character strengths do they display?

Book Details

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