Chasing the Jaguar by Michele Dominguez Greene (2006)

Reviewed by Jocelyn Pearce for TeensReadToo.com

Martika Galvez is just a normal teenage girl. That is, until she turns fifteen and learns that her ancestors were Mayan curanderas and she's following in their footsteps! Her strange dreams apparently mean that she has psychic powers, passed down from her father's side of the family, that her parents have tried to ignore for fifteen years.

Now, though, Martika has to deal with learning about her powers from another curandera, Tia Tellin. She's learning about her ancestors, her powers, and how to use them. Martika is also dealing with the typical problems that come with being fifteen: friends, guys, and schoolwork! If that wouldn't be difficult enough, Martika is also involved in a mystery! Her mother has been working for a man whose teenage daughter is kidnapped--and Martika's powers could be the key to finding her before anything bad happens to Jennifer.

CHASING THE JAGUAR is a fast-paced, enjoyable book full of interesting bits of Spanish and stories about Martika's Mayan ancestors. Martika is just one of a cast of believable, likable characters in the story. This is a quick and entertaining read, written by an excellent new author. Michele Dominguez Greene's writing is great, and I certainly hope she's planning more books about Martika!