Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie R. Wheadon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Pirates, reborn Caribbean saints mix in fascinating fantasy.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
In BALLAD & DAGGER: OUTLAW SAINTS, BOOK 1, Mateo is on his way to the Grand Fete, a gathering of the San Madrigal Island diaspora in Brooklyn that decides the next head of the leadership council. He's excited to play the piano there and maybe impress his idol, Gerval, a famous singer. His spiritual Tia/Aunt Lucia is set to attend with him until she does a reading of her cowrie shells and becomes agitated. She tells Mateo she'll meet him at the club later. It's hard to say exactly what Tia Lucia saw in the shells. Maybe it was the murder Mateo witnessed outside the club, committed by a girl he knows, the daughter of the rabbi. Or maybe it's the moment Mateo is playing piano during the speeches and the head of the leadership council announces to everyone that Mateo is an initiated child of one of the island's most important saints, Galanika, the healer. Poor shy Mateo never wanted this and Tia Lucia knows it. Or maybe Tia saw herself fall in a bar fight later that night, forcing Mateo to use his healer powers for the first time, changing the course of his life and putting him at the center of a war among his diaspora.
Is It Any Good?
This rendering of a unique diaspora in crisis mixes reborn saints and Santeria, Spanish and Hebrew, pirates and monsters, and lots of music in a fascinating fantasy symphony. Author Daniel Jose Older imagines a community desperate to get back to their Caribbean island that sunk into the sea, or ready to put down roots for good in Brooklyn, depending on whom you ask. If you ask Mateo, the main character, he's not into all that saint stuff and doesn't think the island can rise again. He wants to stay on the sidelines, play his piano, think about music as often as possible, and not get involved in the politics. But what choice does he have when he finds out he's the initiated child of one of the island's main saints? And that the girl he likes, Chela, the one he saw murder someone, may be a saint as well? Mateo's Tia Lucia tells him not to trust anyone, but he falls in with Chela anyway, and her cousin, Tolo, a pirate, but not the pirate in charge who knows all the island's secrets. The storyline is sometimes as complex as the diaspora's cultural mix and as the tension builds between the factions, readers learn more about the island's many mysteries -- but not always as fast as they may like. Like what are these monster things running around anyway? Where did they come from? Mateo's relationship with his wise Tia Lucia keeps him and the story grounded and her household keeps things entertaining with her nighttime baking, raucous parties, and the ghost of her partner always around to offer advice. Mateo's relationship with Chela, on the other hand, challenges him to find his braver side, to take action, and to finally tap into his spiritual side that was there all along.
Fans of Older's Shadowshaper Cypher know that the author likes to dissect difficult social themes in his work. Here he imagines some in a community covering up their own uncomfortable history and others crying out for and facing the truth of who they are -- they always thought their idyllic island stayed far away from anything having to do with the slave trade, but guess what? It's easier to have this debate through a fantasy book than in a contentious school board meeting and the critical thinking practice it provides young adult readers is a wonderful bonus to this complex and fascinating tale.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the curious diaspora in Ballad & Dagger: Outlaw Saints, Book 1. How do they remain a community in Brooklyn? What keeps them together? What secrets threaten to drive them apart? Why do you think some want to return to a restored island and others do not?
Why does Mateo need to take deep breaths before he enters the school every day? How does his tia/aunt help him manage his fears? If you have social fears, how do you manage them? What helps the most? Is it surprising to see a hero figure in a story have fears that are very common to the average high schooler?
What history do the pirates try to hide? Why does Mateo think it's important for everyone to know the truth? Is a history that omits the unpleasant parts a true history? Is it easier to ponder questions like this posed in a fantasy book rather than a book of nonfiction?
What role does music play in this story? How does it speak to the different factions of the diaspora? How did music help Mateo stay close to his community when he was living far away with his parents?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Superheroes , Adventures , School ( High School ) , Arts ( Music and Sing-Along ) , Pirates
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Rick Riordan Presents
- Publication date : May 3, 2022
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 12 - 18
- Number of pages : 384
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Award : Common Sense Selection
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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