I heard about this book for the first time about a month ago, and since that time, I seem to be hearing about it EVERYWHERE. Most recently, it was nominated for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature.
I'm so excited to review this book!
I am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez
This is the story of Julia, who is not the perfect Mexican daughter. She is outspoken, and she spends most of her time being grounded. When the book opens, Julia and her family are at the funeral of Julia's older sister Olga. Olga was the perfect Mexican daughter. She was obedient, loving, and enjoyed spending most of her time at home with her family. Olga was hit by semi-truck, so her death was unexpected and surprising.
The book follows the next two years of Julia's life. She is struggling to find her self and figure out what life may look like after high school. She has an inspiring teacher, in her AP English teacher, who helps her develop her love of reading. He leads the class in thorough discussions of literature and Julia loves this. As she struggles with her grief, this is a welcome distraction.
Shortly after the funeral, Julia is struggling to sleep and begins spending nights in her sister's room. Soon she begins finding some strange items that lead to questions about her sister. She begins thinking that her sister may not have been so perfect and was certainly hiding something. Sometime scandalous and possibly dangerous. Over the next two years, Julia attempts to put the pieces together and uncover her sister's secrets.
This book is a great read for adolescent readers. I love that the main character is a POC, and that she is struggling to identify with her family and herself during a challenging time - preparing for college. The book also does a great job of exploring her grief and presenting her with decisions that have big consequences.
I highly encourage this book as an independent read to motivate adolescent readers.
Happy Reading!!
No comments:
Post a Comment