Lowriders in Space

by Cathy Camper

Camper, C. (2014). Lowriders in space. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books LLC.

Lupe Impala is a mechanic extraordinaire.  El Chavo Flapjack Octopus can polish a car and make it shine like no one else.  Elirio Malaria is the best detail artist around.  While these three friends from the barrio love working on cars more than anything, they are tired of working at the dealership for El Jefe.  Their dream is to have their own garage and a car that would go low and slow, bajito y suavecito.  When they come across a poster for the Universal Car Competition, they just know they have the skills it takes to win.  Of course that means taking their hunk of junk, which is a shell of a car, and basically reconstructing the whole thing.  The team sets out in search of parts at an old, abandoned airplane factory and discover a box of rocket parts.  Once the car is all fixed up, the friends decided to take it on a test drive.  That's when things get really outrageous.  The car not only starts right up, but blast them right into the stratosphere.  Through flames and asteroids, from moons to planets, the car takes them on a journey like no other, becoming even more incredible as it goes.  Then as the car begins to quickly approach a black hole, the team realizes they must do something to avoid being sucked in!  They arrive back on Earth just in time to make a grand entrance into the competition and WOW both the crowd and judges.  The black, red and blue ball point pen illustrations really bring this graphic novel to life, giving it lots of energy with unique style.  Camper sprinkles Spanish slang throughout the novel and includes a glossary of terms at then end, along with more information about low riders.  This 2016-2017 Texas Bluebonnet Nominee is recommended for children ages 8-12.

Activities and Resources for Lowriders in Space

Lowriders in Space Book Trailer

Interview with Cathy Camper