This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
Minda lives in Minnesota with her husband and their three spunky bilingual kids. Their family has created their own brand of "Mexigringo" as they blend their Papi's Mexican culture with their Mami's Minnesotan culture.
Minda is a teacher of English Learners at a local elementary school. She has taught second grade in Mexico and volunteered in Guatemala, Peru, and other parts of Latin America.
Minda is passionate about teaching children to be proud of their bilingual superpowers. She is hopeful that her readers and her own kids will identify with the Martinez family, and remember that speaking more than one language is one of the many things that can make a kid special.
Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite
Doing the same thing every day can become tedious. The Martinez children have just started their summer vacation and already they’re complaining about being bored: breakfast is boring, playing in the backyard is boring – there’s just nothing new and exciting to capture their attention. That is, until their kindly neighbor, an inventor, introduces them to a new invention that will transport the family into all manner of creatures in virtual reality settings. Their first adventure is running through trees in the body of a squirrel. They weren’t too thrilled with the idea of eating acorns, but when you’re hungry and there’s nothing else, what do you do? They also have adventures under the sea and in rainforests, living the life of a different creature each time, learning what it’s like to be something or someone else. Life is no longer the same old, boring stuff.
Minda Gomez’s early chapter book, The Secret Door, is the first book in the Martinez Kids Adventures series. The author explores the realm of what-if scenarios and creates a series of imaginary adventures that will definitely appeal to young readers. With boldly colorful illustrations and written in simple language with lots of dialogue, this is a great early reader for those still learning to read. As young readers learn exciting ways to explore the world around them with their own imaginations, they will also learn about a wide variety of living creatures: how and where they live, what they eat, what they do every day and so much more. The most significant lessons presented in this story are those that relate to family values and caring for others. This is an engaging, entertaining, and educational book that will appeal to the young and the young at heart.
