THE SECRET FOOTPRINTS, by Julia Alvarez
AR Level: 4.0 Points: .5
Interest Level: Lower Grades

This original version of a Dominican folk tale is about a young girl who is a member of the ciguapas, beautiful creatures with long black hair and golden skin that live in caves under the river. They look very much like humans, only their feet are on backwards and they are very beautiful. One little girl in the tribe is named Guapa, which means "very brave, bold and beautiful." The creatures in her village are very afraid of humans, so they only come out at night. Guapa isn't afraid of humans though...find out what happens when she is caught spying on a family of humans. Will they hurt her, or will she find friendship?