Editorial Content for Nothing Up My Sleeve

Three Latino characters named Dominic, Loop and Z will take the readers of Diana Lopez’s NOTHING UP MY SLEEVE on a journey to becoming a serious magician. From the moment they stumble into the magic shop in the beginning and meet the encouraging owners, the Garzas, up until the results of the magic competition at the end, readers will attentively follow the story and see the world of magic as a serious craft. Right away, the reader is introduced to the world of magic when Ariel, the daughter of the magic shop owner, performs her magic routine that won the previous year’s competition, which is enough to get Dominic, Loop and Z interested in purchasing and practicing magic tricks. Throughout the book, the boys visit the magic shop daily to learn new tricks, tips and secrets about performing magic. As the readers see Dominic, Loop and Z using magic as an escape from their everyday life they may be tempted to try it or explore other creative worlds and activities.

“NOTHING UP MY SLEEVE is bound to be a hit as it successfully offers readers a window into the world of magic while presenting issues applicable to any reader’s life and maintaining a diverse cast of Latino characters.”

Lopez keeps the story interesting and fresh by switching the first person narrative in each chapter between the three main characters. Even though each boy comes from the Latino community, each has a very different family background and a very distinct personality. Dominic is serious and smart, Loop is a financially responsible artist and Z is a humorous jokester. While it may take a few chapters to learn and understand each character, the differences make it easy and convenient for the reader to tell them apart and follow each storyline. Dominic, Loop and Z’s accounts of the events in the book are also very honest as they reveal their own insecurities, jealousies and annoyances toward one another.

There is also the addition of family and friendship problems in the plot that makes these boys relatable and realistic. Dominic is having a hard time dealing with divorced parents who have trouble facing each other. Loop is trying to get over a big lie his family has been telling him about the identity of his birth father. Z, meanwhile, feels like he is always finishing last in a family full of siblings on a tight budget. To top off what they are going through at home, some misunderstandings at the magic shop cause the boys to turn on each other for a little while. These situations are not uncommon for kids to face in the real world. For kids who experience family issues while trying to balance friendships and other activities in their lives, it will be comforting to read a book about other children doing the same things.

If readers need even more of a reason to keep reading, this book has a hook that will keep them flying through the pages as they try to discover who will be able to compete in the magic show at an upcoming expensive magic convention, or --- even more importantly --- who will win the competition the boys have been practicing for all summer. The readers will also be curious to know how each boy ends up working through their family conflicts in the end.

NOTHING UP MY SLEEVE is bound to be a hit as it successfully offers readers a window into the world of magic while presenting issues applicable to any reader’s life and maintaining a diverse cast of Latino characters. This book belongs in the realistic fiction genre of youth literature and it may only disappoint those who pick it up expecting a fantasy, which is amazing when writing a book where magic is one of the main subject matters.