An Encantadora's Guide to Monstros and Magic
Quill Tree Books - July 8th, 2025
Encanto meets Oceans 8 in this middle-grade fantasy-adventure, set in a Portuguese-inspired world, following a tween girl who joins a notorious band of thieves to steal a priceless jewel and discovers corruption that must be stopped.
Perfect for advanced readers as young as third grade all the way up to highschoolers who aren’t ready for Young Adult levels of romance or violence.
Rosa Coelho has spent her whole life hunting monstros, wandering the city streets with her best friend Tiago, and dreaming of a better life for herself and her grandmother. And in a society that favors the rich and educated, every piece of knowledge comes with a hefty price, even the most basic books Rosa’s family needs to trap monstros.
So when the powerful Ministério dos Monstros threatens her family’s struggling Encantadora shop, Rosa only has two weeks to scrape together the money for their debts. It seems like an impossible task… until Rosa tricks her way onto an infamous thief crew as their magical safecracker.
Thrust into the world of high class luxury and betrayal, Rosa is pulled into a scheme with the highest possible stakes: stealing from the Ministry itself. She must learn to trust her magical abilities and her crew—for if the heist goes wrong, everything she loves is forfeit.
ISBN: 9781335012883
Ages: 8-13
Grades - 3rd to 8th
Praise for An Encantadora’s Guide to Monstros and Magic
“An inventive and twisty heist filled with magic and mystery, monsters and marvels, Sarah J. Mendonca’s debut is an entrancing read.”
Anne Ursu, author of Not Quite a Ghost
“An endlessly imaginative and enchanting debut, An Encantadora’s Guide to Monstros and Magic is sure to snare readers with its fierce friendships, daring, and edge-of-your-seat secrets.”
Tracy Badua, author of Freddie vs. the Family Curse and The Cookie Crumbles
"With vivid monstros, brilliant young thieves, and layers of secrets that fit like a puzzle box, An Encantadora’s Guide to Monstros and Magic is a heist story to treasure. I couldn’t stop reading this sparkling adventure!"
Diane Magras, author of the Mad Wolf's Daughter books and Secret of the Shadow Beasts
“A phenomenal debut with smooth execution, exciting capers, and heaps of originality.”
Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“A magical story about digging for the truth and rooting out corruption while learning how to be vulnerable and trust in your friends. Found family, a magical heist, and extensive worldbuilding make this one of my favorite middle grade fantasies of recent years.”
Lauren Pronger, Chapterhouse Books, Amarillo, TX
“With her clever worldbuilding, ragtag team of would-be rebels and labyrinthine city teeming with delightful monsters, Mendonca has written a book that young readers will want to revisit over and over again.”
Mara Luther, Chapter One Books Store, Hamilton, MT
