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You Don't Have a Clue: Latino Mystery Stories for Teens
You Don't Have a Clue: Latino Mystery Stories for Teens is a groundbreaking collection of suspenseful short fiction for teens.
Set in schools and communities from New York City to Venice Beach, California, the protagonists in these teen mystery stories reflect the breadth and diversity of the Latino authors included in this innovative collection. Published authors such as Mario Acevedo, Alicia Gaspar de Alba, Diana López and Sergio Troncoso appear alongside less well-known authors who deserve more recognition. This collection is sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats until the last page is turned.
Set in schools and communities from New York City to Venice Beach, California, the protagonists in these teen mystery stories reflect the breadth and diversity of the Latino authors included in this innovative collection. Published authors such as Mario Acevedo, Alicia Gaspar de Alba, Diana López and Sergio Troncoso appear alongside less well-known authors who deserve more recognition. This collection is sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats until the last page is turned.
310 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2011
8 people are currently reading
93 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Cortez
25 books16 followersSARAH CORTEZ, resident of Houston and member of the Texas Institute of Letters, is the author of two poetry collections and winner of the PEN Texas literary award in poetry. Her mixed-genre memoir, Walking Home: Growing up Hispanic in Houston, was published by Texas Review Press in 2012. She has edited six anthologies, ranging from crime fiction to memoir to poetry.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
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February 13, 2012I was thrilled to find this collection of short mysteries for teens. Mystery short stories are tricky things to write for any audience, let alone YA, and I appreciated the creativity and variety in this anthology. Some of these stories were so rich in characters and premise, I wished they were full-length novels; I was sad to let them go after just a few pages. Other stories found just the right story arc to explore within the confines of a few short pages. Some had a touch of the paranormal -- an intriguing ghost makes an appearance -- and some were grounded in gritty realism. I loved the range of voices and the authentic teen experiences, as well as the chance to see so many young Latino sleuths on the page. More of this type of collection would be great additions to the YA genre and to to the mystery genre.
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May 18, 2012I wrote a short story for this collection -- my first mystery ever. Now I'm waiting for the book to come out so I can read the other authors' contributions. A lot of them sound really good.
October 20, 2011
This book was very interesting. There are some crazy stories.I would recommend.
May 28, 2018
This book was especially close to my heart because a few years ago, I was in a writing group with Sarah Cortez, the editor. I expected all of the stories to be murder mysteries (I guess that's just what I've come to consider the "mystery" genre to be), but it was mysteries of all types, which was refreshing. A collection of well-written short stories of many different flavors, the book was entertaining and worth the read.
November 14, 2021
This book is a realistic compilation of Hispanic literature by wonderful authors, including L.M. Quinn - I have loved her work since reading her articles in Elle - fascinating way to weave language and literature to captivate an audience. Thank you for this wonderful collection!
Did not finish
October 15, 2016Read No Flowers for Marla on 8/11/12.
Marla is one of the few white girls in a primarily Latino high school. When she goes missing, and is later found dead, the police draw their own conclusions, treating the case as open and shut, but Gloria, a journalist for the school newspaper, can’t rest until she’s sure justice has been served. With pad and paper in hand, she interviews everyone who might know anything about Marla’s final hours, pressing for answers to the questions the police aren’t asking.
"No Flowers for Marla" might be a short story, but it has every element of an excellent mystery - suspense, red herrings, and a surprising conclusion. The beginning and ending of the story are a bit flowery in terms of description and emotion, but the middle reads like a detailed crime report, focusing on every detail of Marla’s murder. Gloria isn’t especially well-developed beyond a brief glimpse into her family life and her stubborn persistence regarding Marla’s case, but she is the most believable teen detective I’ve read about. Her role as school newspaper reporter gives her a plausible reason to poke around in the business of the case, and the roadblocks she encounters are reasonable for a teenager trying to solve a crime, but not so insurmountable that she doesn’t eventually figure it all out. I also think she is a much more believable character than someone like, say, Nancy Drew, because we get to see her emotional reactions to each clue she uncovers. She’s not just a vehicle for finding clues, but a real character unto herself who is affected deeply by the case.
Due to the somewhat graphic nature of the subject matter, I would say that is a story for older teens. Though the collection it comes from is intended to celebrate Latino Mystery Stories for Teens, race is not heavily important to this story. More important are themes of community, violation, fear, and justice. Latino teens will be pleased, however, to see characters who look and speak like them featured in such a wonderfully well-crafted story. The mystery kept me eagerly turning the pages, and the bittersweet ending made me tear up just a little bit. Teachers might like to use this story as a mini lesson in constructing a strong mystery story. It would also make a nice read-aloud for a mystery-themed library program, for Halloween, or any time.
Marla is one of the few white girls in a primarily Latino high school. When she goes missing, and is later found dead, the police draw their own conclusions, treating the case as open and shut, but Gloria, a journalist for the school newspaper, can’t rest until she’s sure justice has been served. With pad and paper in hand, she interviews everyone who might know anything about Marla’s final hours, pressing for answers to the questions the police aren’t asking.
"No Flowers for Marla" might be a short story, but it has every element of an excellent mystery - suspense, red herrings, and a surprising conclusion. The beginning and ending of the story are a bit flowery in terms of description and emotion, but the middle reads like a detailed crime report, focusing on every detail of Marla’s murder. Gloria isn’t especially well-developed beyond a brief glimpse into her family life and her stubborn persistence regarding Marla’s case, but she is the most believable teen detective I’ve read about. Her role as school newspaper reporter gives her a plausible reason to poke around in the business of the case, and the roadblocks she encounters are reasonable for a teenager trying to solve a crime, but not so insurmountable that she doesn’t eventually figure it all out. I also think she is a much more believable character than someone like, say, Nancy Drew, because we get to see her emotional reactions to each clue she uncovers. She’s not just a vehicle for finding clues, but a real character unto herself who is affected deeply by the case.
Due to the somewhat graphic nature of the subject matter, I would say that is a story for older teens. Though the collection it comes from is intended to celebrate Latino Mystery Stories for Teens, race is not heavily important to this story. More important are themes of community, violation, fear, and justice. Latino teens will be pleased, however, to see characters who look and speak like them featured in such a wonderfully well-crafted story. The mystery kept me eagerly turning the pages, and the bittersweet ending made me tear up just a little bit. Teachers might like to use this story as a mini lesson in constructing a strong mystery story. It would also make a nice read-aloud for a mystery-themed library program, for Halloween, or any time.
December 6, 2011
YOU DON’T HAVE A CLUE: LATINO MYSTERY STORIES FOR TEENS edited by Sarah Cortez is a fiction anthology I recommend. This collection of short stories is suitable for adults as well as teens and for readers of all nationalities. The book earned a starred review from BOOKLIST. There are eighteen stories in all. Most of the stories are mysteries though not all of them. Most are written from a first-person viewpoint. Editor Sarah Cortez provides a particularly well-written historic revenge story, “For You, Mother.” It’s right up there with Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado.” Each story is unique and the authors have impressive credentials.
Stories in the collection:
“No Soy Loco” this leads with Victor who starts hearing voices after being hit in the head by a baseball. “No One Remembers” is the story of an abduction. Fantasy and reality are well-balanced in “The Tattoo.” In “No Flowers for Marla,” a girl investigates the murder of a classmate. A humorous mystery story “All the Facts, A to Z,” could be described as the case of the missing saints and features the grandmother from hell. In “Hating Holly Hernandez,” Zander finds a severed arm in his school locker. The librarian deals with mysterious murders. In “The Red Lipstick,” a high school student solves a mystery involving missing auto parts at a garage. “The Right Size” uses point of view effectively in a crime story. “Nuts” is problematic, a good story that needs an ending. “Belle” is an interesting character study of an intriguing, mysterious girl. “Valentine Surprise” is exactly that—a crime story with a surprise ending. All in all, a very satisfying reading experience.
Stories in the collection:
“No Soy Loco” this leads with Victor who starts hearing voices after being hit in the head by a baseball. “No One Remembers” is the story of an abduction. Fantasy and reality are well-balanced in “The Tattoo.” In “No Flowers for Marla,” a girl investigates the murder of a classmate. A humorous mystery story “All the Facts, A to Z,” could be described as the case of the missing saints and features the grandmother from hell. In “Hating Holly Hernandez,” Zander finds a severed arm in his school locker. The librarian deals with mysterious murders. In “The Red Lipstick,” a high school student solves a mystery involving missing auto parts at a garage. “The Right Size” uses point of view effectively in a crime story. “Nuts” is problematic, a good story that needs an ending. “Belle” is an interesting character study of an intriguing, mysterious girl. “Valentine Surprise” is exactly that—a crime story with a surprise ending. All in all, a very satisfying reading experience.
August 28, 2011
as with most short stories collections, a few of the stories grabbed me and some didn't
February 28, 2013
I'm reading this for review for mamiverse.com. It's very good of its kind--an anthology of diverse "mysterious" stories for teens, especially Hispanic teens.
November 24, 2014
Wonderfully diverse collection of short mystery stories. I am one of the contributing writers of this surprising anthology.
October 31, 2015
Enjoyable stories.
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February 7, 2018awesom
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews