The Wild Book
​Juan Villoro


A wondrous book of magic and adventures. The Wild Book by the renown Mexican author, Juan Villoro, is the story of a boy who moves in with his reclusive and awkward uncle, during his summer break, after the separation of his parents. The boy, Juan, finds himself in his uncle's enormous house with rooms filled with labyrinths made up of books. As a matter of fact, there are so many books stacked up so high throughout the house, it is easy to get lost.

As Juan explores the dusty shelves in the house, he soon discovers that books have spirits and personalities of their own and are capable of moving, specially when he isn't looking. His uncle Tito, not only knows about the magic within the books, but also lets his nephew know that he has a special gift—that he is a Lector Princeps which makes the books respond to him in special ways. And now he is the only one who can find The Wild Book—a mystical book that has never been read. Juan and his new friend Catalina are on a mission to find The Wild Book before the evil, story-stealing Pirate Book does.
The Wild Book is a remarkable and enchanting story where we find wise and hidden truths regarding literature and people, in an unforgettable adventure centered around the magic of books.
Juan Villoro's has received international prizes such as the Herralde de Novela, Premio Xavier Villaurrutia, Rey de España, Ciudad de Barcelona, and Vázquez Montalbán de Periodismo Deportivo, and Antonin Artaud. He has been a professor of literature at UNAM, Yale, and la Universidad Pompeu Fabra de Barcelona. He is a columnist for the newspapers Reforma and El Periódico de Catalunya.

The Wild Book is a publication by Restless Books. Click here to purchase.
Reviewed by
Gerald A. Padilla
​5/6/2018
Gerald A. Padilla (Los Angeles, CA) is founder and director of Latino Book Review, founder of Jade Publishing, founder of the Festival Internacional de Poesía Latinoamericana (FEIPOL), founder of Latin American Foundation for the Arts. He is co-author of the first children's book in Náhuatl in the U.S., Noyolkanyolkej.
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