Quetzal's Labyrinth

Name: Quetzal's Labyrinth
Price: 45 AUD
Availability: PreOrder
ISBN: 9798217028931

Karla Arenas Valenti

$45

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Knopf Books for Young Readers
30 September 2026

Children's & young adult fiction & true stories

From the Pura Belpre Award-winning author of Lola comes an action-packed middle grade fantasy where Aztec mythology crashes into everyday life. When twelve-year old Diego discovers ancient gods are real, he must journey into a deadly labyrinth to stop a vengeful power before it destroys the world.

Diego never believed his abuelo's stories of gods and monsters and the ancient magic woven through Mexican history. Not until he finds himself sprinting down a dark hallway, chased by a beast straight out of lore-its fur as coarse as iron and five human hands clawing furiously at his throat.

Turns out, the myths are real, and their magic is erupting into Diego's world. As shadowy creatures besiege his apartment, abuelo's dog Cholo fixes Diego with a human gaze and speaks. Cholo reveals they've been unwittingly ensnared in a centuries-old rivalry between the great God Quetzal and his ruthless brother Tezca. Tezca is rising, summoning an army of minions, while Quetzal, the only one strong enough to stop him, has vanished.

Humanity hangs by a thread, and Diego has no choice but to enter Quetzal's labyrinth-accompanied by his friends Violeta and Cholo, a sassy rubber chicken, and a bloodthirsty kitten-to face a power older than civilization itself.

The stakes are legendary, but maybe, deep down, Diego is too.

By: Karla Arenas Valenti
Imprint: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 210mm, Width: 140mm,
Weight: 567g
ISBN: 9798217028931
Pages: 352
Publication Date: 30 September 2026
Recommended Age: From 8 to 12 years
Audience: Children/juvenile , English as a second language
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Karla Arenas Valenti grew up in Mexico City in a house built around a tree. Her childhood was filled with fantastical elements, which she incorporates into her books-taking readers on journeys steeped in magical realism, fantasy, and big philosophical questions. Karla is the recipient of the Pura Belpre Award, and her middle grade novels Lola and Loteria have received a combined seven starred reviews. She currently resides in the Chicagoland area with her husband and three kids, two cats, and hundreds of books.

Reviews for Quetzal's Labyrinth

""I fell headfirst into this book and never wanted to climb back out! Full of humor, mythology, and rip-roaring adventure, Quetzal’s Labyrinth takes readers to a world so alive with magic and wonder it sparkles off the page."" —Kate O'Shaughnessy, author of the Newbery Honor winner The Wrong Way Home