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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
This is written from the perspective of a high school girl who is Latinx and her experience of starting at a new school that is mainly White. She goes there through a program who’s goal is to increase diversity in the White school. She is seeing a lot of cultural differences between White kids and Latinx kids and experiences a lot of racism along the way.
A friendship begins between her and a White girl at the new school, and a lot of their interactions brought me back to when I was growing up. One of my closest friends is Latinx, and I am White. I think growing up I wasn’t super understanding to her culture and family dynamics. This book opened my eyes, and I realize I should have asked more questions and been more compassionate to her situation.
At one point in the book the main character hears a lot of nasty comments from White nationalist kids, and I feel like there wasn’t really an adequate response to those comments. It sort of felt like they were just thrown out there but not argued against which left me hanging and wanting more justice for the protagonist. Maybe that was intentional since there are so seldom consequences for racist folks. Overall, 4/5 stars for the representation, how it related to me personally, and had me thinking about how my whiteness has effected and still effects the relationships I have with my Latinx friends today. Would definitely recommend this book.
A friendship begins between her and a White girl at the new school, and a lot of their interactions brought me back to when I was growing up. One of my closest friends is Latinx, and I am White. I think growing up I wasn’t super understanding to her culture and family dynamics. This book opened my eyes, and I realize I should have asked more questions and been more compassionate to her situation.
At one point in the book the main character hears a lot of nasty comments from White nationalist kids, and I feel like there wasn’t really an adequate response to those comments. It sort of felt like they were just thrown out there but not argued against which left me hanging and wanting more justice for the protagonist. Maybe that was intentional since there are so seldom consequences for racist folks. Overall, 4/5 stars for the representation, how it related to me personally, and had me thinking about how my whiteness has effected and still effects the relationships I have with my Latinx friends today. Would definitely recommend this book.
I don’t think I’ve ever connected to a character more than when Lilliana would use vocab words and then point out that she was using a vocab word. That’s totally something I would do!
But, for real, this narrative isn’t perfect or super original, but it is an important message of the hope that maybe the world can get a little better as long as we try. And stereotypes suck.
But, for real, this narrative isn’t perfect or super original, but it is an important message of the hope that maybe the world can get a little better as long as we try. And stereotypes suck.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Fantastic.... these stories always humble me and make me reflect on my teaching practices.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Wow! This was a great book. It was very eye opening. As a Black woman, I have often read YA books with young Black characters or white characters. To have a protagonist that was not only Latinx, but also young was very enlightening. Ms. DeLeon did a very good job with developing her characters, making them seem relatable, while also teaching about a culture that often is undermined. Having taught in a school with majority Latinx finding relevant modern books was difficult. I will definitely use this in my classroom and recommend it to other students. My only qualm was the ending just seemed a little flat. Things were wrapped up nicely and there were not any loose ends, however, the ending didn't deliver that last thought provoking punch that was expected. Overall, it was phenomenal.
I liked it.
Not just relatable for Latinx communities, it was nice reading about a book about a first generation American, from her perspective. While yes, this book did not go into much about Lili's heritage and cultural background (other than some glances at food and sprinkles of another language), I think it's extremely representative of first generation Americans in general. It is a sad but true fact that more and more people are losing the languages and cultures of their ancestors, and yet, they still must face the same stigma and discrimination that their ancestors faced once before.
Lili was a nice character. I don't think she was a particular stand-out but I do admire her to some extent. I must admit, I thought this book would be more like Lili feeling out of place in both parts of her life: too Latinx for the white school, and too white for her Latinx school. I do think that might've been more interesting, but this read was good all the same.
It definitely didn't seem like it was an obvious debut novel (which is amazing, so props to Ms. Jennifer De Leon). It was a good read and I am bookishly satiated. (●´ω｀●)
Not just relatable for Latinx communities, it was nice reading about a book about a first generation American, from her perspective. While yes, this book did not go into much about Lili's heritage and cultural background (other than some glances at food and sprinkles of another language), I think it's extremely representative of first generation Americans in general. It is a sad but true fact that more and more people are losing the languages and cultures of their ancestors, and yet, they still must face the same stigma and discrimination that their ancestors faced once before.
Lili was a nice character. I don't think she was a particular stand-out but I do admire her to some extent. I must admit, I thought this book would be more like Lili feeling out of place in both parts of her life: too Latinx for the white school, and too white for her Latinx school. I do think that might've been more interesting, but this read was good all the same.
It definitely didn't seem like it was an obvious debut novel (which is amazing, so props to Ms. Jennifer De Leon). It was a good read and I am bookishly satiated. (●´ω｀●)
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was a quick and enjoyable read. It was definitely a character-driven book, and I enjoyed how each character was imperfect and realistic. The pacing felt a little weird at first, and the beginning was a little slow, but the reasons it was written the way it was made sense by the end. Overall, I would highly recommend this for fans of The Hate You Give. Full review at The More We Read!
***Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me a review copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***
***Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me a review copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated