Summary

Francisco Junior remembered how Simonopio would bring him to school when he was six years old in “There Are Monsters.” Simonopio tried to teach him to “see the world like he did,” but rambunctious and curious Francisco Junior struggled to concentrate (305). Francisco Junior defended Simonopio when schoolmates insulted him. He enjoyed telling them scary stories, though, including those he heard with Simonopio at the fair. But he never shared that of the coyote, whom he understood was a “real monster” (310). One day, as 19-year-old Simonopio was bringing Francisco Junior to school, they heard an announcement in “A True Wonder.” A man declared that, on Saturday, Pedro Ronda would sing underwater. Simonopio was excited and determined to see the spectacle, agreeing to bring Francisco Junior along.

Francisco did not enjoy his encounters with Espiricueta in “Alchemy.” Espiricueta’s crop had...