Mañanaland

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2020

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1, Chapters 1-4

Part 1, Chapters 5-9

Part 1, Chapters 10-13

Part 1, Chapters 14-16

Part 2, Chapters 17-21

Part 2, Chapters 22-25

Part 3, Chapters 26-30

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

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Part 1, Chapters 5-9Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1: “Yesterday”

Chapter 5 Summary

Buelo and Max settle in for an evening of storytelling. Max tells the story he made up about a giant, indecisive serpent who made the winding river in Santa Maria. Buelo tells the story of “The Secret Bridge and the Guardabarrera,” asking Max to help him tell it. Buelo tells this story to Max often. It’s about a secret bridge just beyond The Bridge of a Thousand Mallards. At the secret bridge there is a strange gatekeeper, or guardabarrera, named Yadra. The people say Yadra is a troll, or a river witch. The guardabarrera collects lost things in her cavern, including “answers to perplexing questions” (46). Buelo shares instructions for finding Yadra, including greeting her at the door with the code: “I am a pilgrim, true of heart” (47). Buelo tells Max that if he is brave enough to find her, Yadra might take Max on the river where he can “hold tomorrow in the palm of [his] hand” (47). Buelo says he has visited Yadra many times over the years and has even held tomorrow, though of course it’s just a story.

Chapter 6 Summary

Max invites Chuy to join him as his father’s apprentices for the summer. However, unlike Max, Chuy’s parents have agreed to let Chuy attend the fútbol clinic in Santa Inés with the other boys. Chuy can’t stay and practice fútbol with Max, since he has been invited to meet the new coach at dinner with Ortiz’s cousin. Max is disappointed. He complains to Papá about not being allowed the same independence as his friends, asking: “When will I ever be old enough?” (55). Papá compromises and decides Max is old enough to finally visit the ruins with him. This slightly lifts Max’s spirits, since he will be “the first boy ever to cross the gates” into the ruins (57).

Chapter 7 Summary

That evening, Max’s great aunties and uncle visit for dinner. They talk while preparing for a dinner of chile rellenos and pineapple empanadas. They discuss the new fútbol coach and his strict enforcement of league rules, including requirement for a birth certificate to prove age. The adults trade concerned looks and talk privately away from Max, leaving Max confused about what they are keeping from him.

Chapter 8 Summary

A fog rolls in overnight. Max and Papá set off for the ruins. Papá discusses work safety and warns Max to never visit the ruins by himself. When they arrive at the ruins, red petals blow around them, reminding Max of a dream he once had about visiting the tower.

They spend an hour carrying rocks to the wagon and sorting them. They stop for lunch and talk about Guardians of the Hidden Ones, a secret network that helped hidden ones escape Abismo through Santa Maria. The guardians would help hidden ones hide inside La Reina Gigante before taking them on to the next safe place. Hidden ones could survive in the tower for days on eggs and milk from a nearby chicken coop and goat pen, berries, and provisions brought by the guardians.

Papá is offended to learn that Ortiz’s family believe the hidden ones were criminals because they were ere innocents escaping a dictator, and the guardians were helping because of compassion. Papá tells Max a secret: Buelo and Max’s aunts and uncles were once guardians. Papá and Max’s mother were, too. One day, Max’s mother helped two women escape and continued with them, never coming home. When Max’s mother left, she took all her things, including Max’s birth certificate. Papá plans to visit a nearby town San Clemente to resolve the issue, though there’s a chance it might not be fixed in time for Max to try out for the fútbol team. Papá won’t tell Max why he waited so long to fix the issue, though he agrees to explain to Max when he gets home from San Clemente.

Chapters 9 Summary

Max gets permission to go inside the tower. When Max enters, the wind rushes through the tower and seems to turn into a popular lullaby: “Arrorró Arrorró Arrorró. Hush. Hush. Hush.” (77). Max is spooked, thinking either La Reina, or a ghost, might be singing.

Papá joins Max. There are markings on the tower walls and Papá explains they are from hidden ones recording their names and messages to document their safe journey from Abismo. Max asks to go up the tower to see the markings, though Papá forbids it. This frustrates Max. There is so much Papá won’t tell him or let him do. As they leave, Max thinks he sees a strange shadow running across the ruins. A falcon suddenly appears, obstructing Max’s view. When Max looks again, the figure is gone.

Part 1, Chapters 5-9 Analysis

These chapters introduce important information while creating suspense. In Chapter 5, Buelo and Max tell stories and fall into a familiar rhythm. Unlike Papá, Buelo enjoys fanciful thinking and encourages Max to use his imagination. When Buelo tells Max the story of “The Secret Bridge and the Guardabarrera”, Buelo reminds Max: “[Y]our father would remind us, it is just a story. Then again, he is not here” (49). This ambiguous language evokes open possibilities, encouraging Max to believe the story might be true. As Max will find out in Chapter 16, however, this story also holds key instructions for helping hidden ones escape through Santa Maria.

Buelo’s storytelling technique foreshadows this development. He introduces the story with, “Once upon a time, a grandfather told his grandson a true story,” and asks Max to fill in the story with the proper instructions and codewords to say to Yadra (43-44). Buelo uses storytelling to prepare Max for both his physical journey as a guardian, and spiritual journey as he comes of age. The possibility that the fantastical story is true also creates anticipation for what magical possibilities might unfold. The promise of holding tomorrow and capturing the passage of time are prominent themes that will continue to weave throughout the story.

Anticipation grows as Max discovers more about his family’s past. Chapters 6 and 7 highlight obstacles for Max that build frustration. Max is the only one of his friends not allowed to attend the fútbol clinic in Santa Inés and his family is worried about Max’s eligibility for the fútbol tryouts, although they won’t tell him why. These obstacles create conflict between Max and Papá, since Max believes he is old enough to be given greater responsibility.

When Max and Papá visit the ruins in Chapter 8, a fog creates a suspenseful mood that also symbolizes Max’s confusion and frustration. While Max is excited to visit the haunted ruins before any of his friends and to learn secrets about his family, there is still much that Papá won’t tell Max or let him explore. The haunted and foggy atmosphere parallels the burdens hanging over Max and Papá: worry about missing out on fútbol tryouts and being left out, the secrets Papá won’t tell Max, the absence of Max’s mother, the desires to know what the future holds, and the ghosts of hidden ones forced to flee Abismo.