SATA
ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: The Boy, the Mountain, and the Serpent Who Ate the Moon
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://carisavendanocruz.com/
CITY: Bulacan
STATE:
COUNTRY: Philippines
NATIONALITY: Philippine
LAST VOLUME: SATA 399
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born in Philippines.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Copywriter and author.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Caris Avendaño Cruz is a Filipina writer of young-adult books. She lives in Bulacan, Philippines, where she works as a copywriter for Internet brands and businesses. She writes books that celebrate Philippine folklore and culture. Her debut novel, Marikit and the Ocean of Stars, was inspired by her mother and her grandmother, Inang, who worked on her trusty sewing machine as a seamstress to put her eight children through school. When Inang passed away, she left the sewing machine to Cruz’s mother.
In the book, for her tenth birthday, Marikit (which means pretty) Lakandula desperately wants a new blue dress so she can look like a Diwata (fairy), but instead she gets another patchwork dress made from the scraps discarded by her seamstress mother, who has to work hard because Marikit’s father and brother were lost at sea three years ago. Mad over the dress, Marikit runs away but is chased by ominous shadows and transported to the land of Engkantos, where she learns that her mother is a Diwata and that Marikit is a Halfling. To search for the other half of her magic, she gets help from a firefly and a cursed boy as they encounter gods, creatures, and spirits from Filipino folklore. They look for clues in Marikit’s patchwork dress, which is really a clever map.
Marikit and the Ocean of Stars was named a Junior Library Guild Selection. Cruz told Momar G. Visaya in an interview online at Asian Journal, “It is a tribute to my roots, to my community who embraced me with warmth and generosity. It is for our lolos and lolas [grandfathers and grandmothers], to tell them that their stories have never been forgotten,” she said. Cruz continued: “And above all, it is a love letter to every young Filipino, reminding them of what was and what has been, so that they can find their way back to who they are.”
School Library Journal reviewer Michele Shaw noted how Marikit and the Ocean of Stars stands out among other fantasy books for middle-grade readers because of its beautiful exploration of Filipino food, culture, and religion, adding: “Marikit’s story is one of finding what is most important in life, through family and friends, and gratitude over material wealth.” Calling the book a captivating story of family, love, and loss, a Kirkus Reviews contributor remarked: “Through her choices and mistakes, Marikit finds courage and power, learns what is truly valuable, and comes to understand real sacrifice.” “Cruz conjures a smartly pitched fairy tale quest for fans of Catherynne M. Valente’s Fairyland series,” declared a Publishers Weekly reviewer.
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 2022, review of Marikit and the Ocean of Stars.
School Library Journal, November, 2022, Michele Shaw, review of Marikit and the Ocean of Stars, p. 58.
ONLINE
Asian Journal, https://asianjournal.com/ (November 10, 2022), Momar G. Visaya, “Filipina Author’s Remarkable Debut Is Inspired by Filipino Culture and Folklore.”
Caris Avendaño Cruz Homepage, https://carisavendanocruz.com/ (May 1, 2023), author profile.
Publishers Weekly, https://www.publishersweekly.com/ (October 2022), review of Marikit and the Ocean of Stars.
Caris Avendaño Cruz is the author of Marikit and the Ocean of Stars and The Boy, the Mountain, and the Serpent Who Ate the Moon. She first wrote stories in spiral notebooks during class. Thankfully, none of her teachers caught her. She now works as a copywriter for internet brands and cool businesses, but in her spare time weaves tales steeped in magic, mischief, and Filipino folklore. She lives in Bulacan, Philippines, and is constantly distracted by a family of comically-named cats.
What are your pronouns?
My pronouns are she/her.
What is your nationality?
I am Filipino.
Wait, you live outside the U.S.?
I live in a historic town in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. My timezone is GMT+8, so often, when I am about to talk to anyone in the US, I am bound to say, “I am from the future.” And I would be right.
What are you doing when not you’re writing stories?
I write! Still! I am a copywriter for lovely online brands and I celebrate when my clients’ stories get to shine, too.
You don’t do anything else?
I draw! I used to dream of becoming an illustrator when I was a kid. Sadly, I wasn’t very good at it, so I only draw stuff for myself on this Instagram account. I also blog, manage, and design this website when I have time to spare.
What were your favorite books when you were a kid?
I used to read Little Women so many times the pages have yellowed and torn at the seams. I also loved E. Nesbit’s fantasy stories, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and all those lovely tales that were so beloved, they had their movie adaptations.
Are you a Pantser or a Plotter?
Oof. The dreaded question! I am, please forgive me, a chaotic pantser. I love making a mess first before giving it structure! This is not applicable to all writers, but I enjoy writing without knowing what will happen next.
Where are your books sold?
At your favorite bookstores, both commercial and indie! If your store doesn’t carry them, please reach out so that our team can connect and replenish stocks.
Can we invite you to our book-related event?
I’d love to know more about it! Please use the Contact page to send the details about your event.
Announcing my second book, “The Boy, The Mountain, and the Serpent Who Ate the Moon”
I joyfully announce my second book, The Boy, The Mountain, and the Serpent Who Ate The Moon. This middle-grade spirited-away fantasy celebrates the unwavering Filipino faith, our humorous superstitions, terrifying lore, and a look into our natural calamities. Set in the fictional town of Santo Cristo, meet a community whose hearts are forged by hope and fear—haunted by a nightmarish mountain that loom above them—and a boy about to brave the cursed night.
If you have found Marikit and the Ocean of Stars imaginatively vibrant and sparkling, this time, you must cover your eyes. There is no color here, only dread. And I must tell you, I do not relish telling stories that harrow up the heart—it pains me to do so—but there’s a shining blessing to it. Here in the dark, we pick up the things that truly shine. Those tiny glimmers that illuminate our spirits and whispers to our ears, “Go on. Hope is not lost.” The night is when we realize we carry a sun in our hearts. Ferocious and unstoppable. Our souls become radiant where there is courage and hope, and I hope the young readers glean those lessons.
I wrote this story in 2021, in the middle of the pandemic. Please do not worry, this is not a COVID-19 story. The inspiration for this was mostly from the monsters my editor, Trisha de Guzman, and I talked about when we had that first phone call. A sequel for Marikit was uncertain, but I wanted to write more of our myths, more of our Engkantos. And so, I pulled some of our favorite lore and jammed them into a large mason jar of joy and defeat, of spine-tingling silence, of more uncertainties.
Grief was a prominent emotion here, because in 2021, many of us were mourning. Many of us lost someone. Many of us cried in sorrow yet unable to change our circumstances. We couldn’t even get out of our house to comfort our loved ones suffering. All we could do was move forward, in that long, seemingly hopeless tunnel.
All of us endured a lot.
The characters in The Boy, The Mountain, and the Serpent Who Ate The Moon also endured a lot. Here, we meet Bayani, our headstrong boy standing tall for his age, yet carried the responsibility of looking after his younger sister Isay—a similarly strong-willed, selfish girl—and Aaron, who was the least courageous of them all. Together, they wander into a place past familiar, left with nothing but the candles in their hands, and the choice to break the curse without falling into the Night.
This is the book of my sorrow, and the book of my hope. I pray that when you read it, you not only acknowledge the many layers of darkness that surround us, but also the little shining light you bear in your heart. And that light can make a difference. Please hold it out, bravely, boldly, for the world to see, and may it remind others to keep shining, too.
The Boy, the Mountain, and the Serpent Who Ate the Moon will be out on July 1, 2025.
Magliwanag ka.
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Posted on
July 6, 2024
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The Boy, the Mountain, and the Serpent Who Ate the Moon. By Caris Avendano Cruz. July 2025. 320p. Farrar, $17.99 (9780374389178). Gr. 4-7.
Every resident of Santo Cristo knows that trouble starts at sundown, when thick fog settles over the town. Anyone who strays from the red-lit paths tends to disappear into the murk, never to be seen again. Fearless Bayani barely ever heeds the warnings, and during a rare evening festival, the promise of a shortcut beckons him across a peculiar bridge with his little sister, Isay, and cousin Aaron in tow. To their shock, the bridge pulls up its footings and disappears, leaving the bewildered trio stranded in the Land of Night. When the children are separated by sinister circumstances, they'll have to face menacing mythological beings, a hostile landscape, and their own deepest fears if there's any hope of surviving the ordeal. This fantasy spins Filipino folklore into a taut and touching tale. Deliciously eerie and occasionally macabre descriptions lend light horror to the proceedings, though unexpected friendships and Isay's unflagging optimism cast a hopeful glow. An unusual and enthralling exploration of what it means to hold onto light in a dark world. --Emily Graham
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Graham, Emily. "The Boy, the Mountain, and the Serpent Who Ate the Moon." Booklist, vol. 121, no. 19-20, June 2025, p. 108. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A847198220/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=c3ee5f13. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.
The Boy, the Mountain, and the Serpent Who Ate the Moon
Caris Avendano Cruz. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $17.99 (320p)
ISBN 978-0-3743-8917-8
Over the past few years, the fictional town of Santo Cristo has become known as a place from which dozens of people have gone missing. During Santo Cristo's annual fiesta and evening procession, three local kids--12-year-old Bayani, his younger sister Isay, and their cousin Aaron--become the latest in the string of disappearances when, as the trio cross a bridge, the structure inexplicably grows legs and runs away with the tweens as its unwilling passengers. It carries them to an eerie location seemingly removed from reality, where they encounter a kapre. The creature, of Filipino folklore, informs the children that they must again find and cross the bridge to return home. As the group embarks on their quest, they learn more about the mysterious place's origins. Cruz (Markit and the Ocean of Stars) draws upon Filipino mythology to deliver a fantastical tale about overcoming fear and cultivating a love for the earth and its inhabitants. Bayani's emboldening mantra--"There is always a way"--highlights the novel's emphasis on positivity and tenacity as a means to counter literal and figurative darkness. It's an engaging tale that blends magical adventure with hopeful depictions of friendship. Tagalog words and phrases appear throughout. Ages 8-12. Agent: Melanie Figueroa, Root Literary. (July)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
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MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"The Boy, the Mountain, and the Serpent Who Ate the Moon." Publishers Weekly, vol. 272, no. 17, 28 Apr. 2025, p. 61. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A838688207/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=85f3a839. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.
Cruz, Caris Avendaño THE BOY, THE MOUNTAIN, AND THE SERPENT WHO ATE THE MOON Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Children's None) $17.99 7, 1 ISBN: 9780374389178
Three children must contend with self-doubt, monsters from Filipino folklore, and an everlasting night to find their way home.
For years, people in the fictional town of Santo Cristo have been disappearing; the missing are referred to simply as the Losts. During the annual town fiesta, 12-year-old Bayani, his younger sister Isay, and their cousin Aaron wander off. After crossing an unusual bridge that grows legs and runs away, they find themselves in the Land Beyond, a mysterious place shrouded in endless night. They soon meet a Kapre, a treelike creature who tells them that they must find the bridge and "light [their] way out of this land." Armed with nothing but candles, Bayani, Isay, and Aaron venture deeper into the night, where they encounter not only monsters, but also other Losts. When the three become separated, they must define what bravery means for themselves and hold on to hope in order to chart a path home. Cruz seamlessly weaves Filipino folklore into this atmospheric and charming adventure, balancing the story's darker elements with moments of humor and themes of hope and friendship. Words from Tagalog and other Filipino languages are naturally incorporated into the story, and context clues will make it easy for readers who don't speak the languages to pick up on their meaning. Each chapter includes a subtitle hinting at its content.
An enchanting and whimsical story about finding light within darkness. (author's note)(Fantasy. 8-12)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Cruz, Caris Avendano: THE BOY, THE MOUNTAIN, AND THE SERPENT WHO ATE THE MOON." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Apr. 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A835106590/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=5ce9b57c. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.