Summer of the Mariposas

Use these links to supplement and complement students’ reading of the work and to increase their overall enjoyment of literature. Challenge them to discern parallel themes, engage through visual and aural stimuli, and delve deeper into the thematic possibilities presented by the title.

Recommended Texts for Pairing

Homer’s Odyssey

• Summer of the Mariposa’s narrative structure loosely parallels Homer’s Odyssey.
• Readers can make connections between the two texts’ use of mythic creatures, supernatural occurrences, interference of divine figures, and much more.
• The Odyssey on SuperSummary

Libba Bray’s Going Bovine

• Bray’s novel is a modern rendition of Don Quixote, another classic text rendered modern. 
• The novel also features the blend of supernatural elements with everyday reality and a young character whose adventures in the world lead him to greater maturity, much like the Bildungsroman.
• Going Bovine on SuperSummary

Kaela Rivera’s Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls

• This middle-grade novel takes place in a fictional world inhabited by creatures and beings from Mexican and Aztec folklore, much like Summer of the Mariposas.

Other Student Resources

Charles Mann’s Before Columbus

• Charles Mann’s book explains what the Americas were like before the Europeans arrived.