Magic, Mystery, and Secrets Entwine in this Coming-of-Age Adventure – Aline and the Blue Bottle. This award winning first volume of 7 is a perfect story for middle schoolers who are also coming of age and finding their place in the world. A modern day fantasy that follows the title character through many different worlds and encounters.
Aline and the Blue Bottle, by Carolina Ugaz-MoránMagic, Mystery, and Secrets Entwine in Coming-of-Age Adventure
“Most families have secrets…”
Los Angeles, CA – What if your family was entrusted with the keeping of a deep and powerful secret? Are there other worlds, filled with more power and magic than one could possibly imagine? And what if everything you knew about yourself, your family, and your world suddenly changed? Debut author Carolina Ugaz-Morán weaves these questions throughout her spellbinding fantasy novel Aline and the Blue Bottle, a coming-of-age story of identity, discovery, and the power of love, family, and friendship.
Aline and the Blue Bottle, the award winning first volume of Carolina Ugaz-Morán’s captivating middle grade fantasy series, is told through the eyes of Aline. A misfit who is bullied and ostracized, Aline is different than her peers. Though well loved by her mother, grandmother, and dogs, Aline longs for acceptance and friendship and struggles to understand why she doesn’t fit in anywhere.“You are very unique and beautiful,” Aline’s grandmother tells her. “Being unique is a very good thing.”
“This is a perfect story for middle schoolers who are also coming of age and finding their place in the world. It’s a modern day fantasy that follows the title character through many different worlds and encounters. You’ll fall in love with Aline and the other characters she comes across on her epic adventures in this world and the next.”
John Kelly, Detroit Free Press, 5-stars
Ugaz-Morán, who was born in Spain, and lived in Argentina, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, and Peru before moving to the United States at age 14, knows what it is like to be an outsider. “As a child, I moved a lot and was often bullied,” she says. “The only constant was my family…Now I have a family of my own and they are my constant. There is a lot to be said about the simple power of love and family.”
But Aline’s family is far more unique than she could begin to guess, the keepers and guardians of a long hidden secret – Aline herself. On the evening of her twelfth birthday, everything changes when her grandmother suddenly tells her she’s in danger and drags her through a portal into a magical world. Here Aline realizes that she has been surrounded by secrets her whole life and that nothing, including her family, is what she thought. She learns about the One World, the evil warlock Dashiok, and the magical war that shattered the One World into eight kingdoms. She discovers that she possesses strong powers which might be the key to defeating Dashiok, if she can unlock them. But before she has even identified all of her powers, much less mastered them, Aline and twelve other Quest Carriers are forced to set off in search of a mysterious and powerful blue bottle which Dashiok seeks to control. Can Aline and the Quest Carriers find the hidden bottle? Will Aline be able to identify and master her powers in order to protect the Quest Carriers? When the forces of darkness attack, can they unite their powers to defeat their foes?
“…I’m hooked on Aline and the Blue Bottle. I love the evolution of young Aline, cautious, strong, simultaneously fearful and fearless.”
Elaine C. Pereira, New York Times Best-Selling Author, 5-stars
Aline and the Blue Bottle kicks off the lyrical and enchanting Adventures of Aline series, which depicts a unique universe infused with elements drawn from ancient Incan mythology and languages. “It all started with a dream,” says Ugaz-Morán. “I was so intrigued by this dream that it triggered a series of dreams. I stitched these together to create an outline for a series capturing Aline’s adventures.”
Ugaz-Morán combines elements of traditional fantasy with strong female characters and a backdrop distinctly her own. “I believe that girls need more female protagonists who are role models and can make anything happen,” says Ugaz-Morán. “They can have great adventures and attain what they set their minds to, realize their own achievements and have fulfilling lives.” As a vivid and meticulous world builder, she has included linguistic guides, glossaries, and maps to help readers become part of Aline’s journey.
“Carolina…draws the reader into learning while being entertained…Very highly recommended!”
Grady Harp, Amazon Top Contributor: Children’s Books and Hall of Fame Top 100 Reviewer
“I hope readers will be as enamored as I am with Aline, her friends, and the many worlds and adventures she encounters,” states Ugaz-Morán. “I also hope they will be excited and optimistic that the challenges they face and the choices they make will lead them to fantastic adventures.”
Equal parts coming-of-age adventure, epic fantasy, and journey of self-discovery, Aline and the Blue Bottle hits all the right notes for a middle grade audience. Carolina Ugaz-Morán skillfully wraps lessons relevant to young adults everywhere – the power of love and family, diversity, racism, and the importance of our choices – in the form of a fun, feel good quest that will keep readers engaged from start to finish.
“Aline and the Blue Bottle is a one-of-a-kind mixture of culture, magic, science, and fantasy that keeps kids wondering what will happen next. With such a great introduction to this world and many more mysteries and secrets to uncover, I can’t wait to see how the rest of the Adventures of Aline series unfolds!”
Jessica Tofino, Educator and Writer, 5-stars
Aline and the Blue Bottle, ISBN:1734072806 (ebook) $3.40, (Paperback) $12.99, 2019, 274 pages, available at Amazon.
