Overview
Para los fans de Lupe Wong no baila, de Donna Barba Higuera, y La luna dentro de mí, de Aida Salazar, llega una novela contemporánea de escuela secundaria llena de coraje y espíritu activista.
La vida apesta cuando tienes doce años. Ya no eres una niña pequeña, pero tampoco eres una adulta, y todos los mayores a tu alrededor empiezan a hablar de tu cuerpo en cuanto comienza a cambiar. ¿Y qué es peor que ser una niña china-filipina-estadounidense-guatemalteca que no habla bien ninguna de sus lenguas ancestrales? Ser, además, una de las pocas chicas en la escuela que aún no ha tenido su primera regla, junto con sus dos mejores amigas.
Manuela “Mani” Semilla quiere dos cosas: que le llegue la regla y frustrar el plan de su mamá de llevarla a Guatemala en su decimotercer cumpleaños. Si su madre siempre habla de lo peligroso que es Guatemala y de cuánto sacrificó para venir a este país, ¿por qué Mani debería querer ir a visitar?
Pero un día, en el ático, encuentra cartas secretas entre su madre y su tía Beatriz, quien, según la historia familiar, murió en un accidente de autobús antes de que Mani naciera. Sin embargo, las cartas revelan una verdad diferente. ¿Por qué su familia realmente se fue de Guatemala? ¿Qué descubrirá Mani sobre sí misma en el proceso? ¿Y cómo podrán esas cartas ayudarla a enfrentarse a la cultura del acoso en su propia escuela?
Reconocimiento para Mani Semilla encuentra su voz de quetzal
Medallista de Plata del International Latino Book Award
Finalista del Premio Libro Infantil Jane Addams
Selección del Proyecto de Libros Feministas RISE de la Asociación de Biblioteca Estadounidense
Mejor del Año:
School Library Journal • Booklist • Biblioteca Pública de Nueva York • Libros de Justicia Social
“Anna Lapera retrata con maestría las dificultades de una joven en la secundaria, pero con una voz tan auténtica y conmovedora que te hará encogerte de emoción en un momento y celebrar en el siguiente. Teje una historia única, llena de humor, tensiones familiares y secretos, mientras una niña aprende a liberar su voz del miedo y a tomar su poder.”
— Donna Barba Higuera, Ganadora de la Medalla Newbery
“Este impresionante debut te hará reír, animarte y pararte en la mesa más cercana para protestar contra la injusticia, probablemente todo antes de terminar el primer capítulo.”
— LitHub
★ “Una mirada poderosa a la acción colectiva que demuestra que cuando alzamos la voz juntos, no solo hacemos ruido: cantamos. No te lo puedes perder.”
— School Library Journal (reseña estelar)
★ “Los lectores apoyarán a Mani a medida que desarrolle el coraje para defenderse a sí misma y a otras niñas, incluso cuando sea aterrador. Una excelente introducción para estudiantes de secundaria y lectores preadolescentes sobre temas como el consentimiento y el movimiento #MeToo.”
— Booklist (reseña estelar)
“Una historia conmovedora y bellamente contada sobre el coraje y el poder de la tradición. La voz recién descubierta de Mani nos inspirará a todos a encontrar nuestra propia manera de hablar contra la opresión.”
— Francisco X. Stork, autor galardonado
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Best of the Year: School Library Journal - Booklist - NYPL - Social Justice Books
For fans of Donna Barba Higuera's Lupe Wong Won't Dance and Aida Salazar's The Moon Within comes Mani Semilla Finds Her Quetzal Voice – a contemporary middle grade novel full of spunk and activist heart.
Life sucks when you're twelve. You're not a little kid, but you're also not an adult, and all the grown-ups in your life talk about your body the minute it starts getting a shape. And what sucks even more than being a Chinese-Filipino-American-Guatemalan who can't speak any ancestral language well? When almost every other girl in school has already gotten her period except for you and your two besties.
Manuela “Mani” Semilla wants two things: To get her period, and to thwart her mom's plan of taking her to Guatemala on her thirteenth birthday. If her mom's always going on about how dangerous it is in Guatemala, and how much she sacrificed to come to this country, then why should Mani even want to visit?
But one day, up in the attic, she finds secret letters between her mom and her Tía Beatriz, who, according to family lore, died in a bus crash before Mani was born. But the letters reveal a different story. Why did her family really leave Guatemala? What will Mani learn about herself along the way? And how can the letters help her to stand up against the culture of harassment at her own school?
P R A I S E
“Anna Lapera expertly voices a young girl’s middle school trials, but with a voice so unique and heartfelt you will be cringing one moment and cheering the next. She weaves a distinctive story filled with humor, family heartache, and secrets while a young girl releases the fear of her voice and grasps its power.”
—Newbery Medalist Donna Barba Higuera
★ “With strong writing, frank conversations about periods, anatomy, and bodily autonomy, plus dynamic characters, this solidly upper middle grade/lower YA story will empower readers, affirm their own middle school experiences, and show that people should be held accountable for the many daily offenses girls and women are subjected to. A powerful look at collective action that shows when we raise our voices together, we don’t just make noise—we sing. Not to be missed.” —School Library Journal (starred)
★ “Lapera’s debut novel focuses on the disparities against women, shedding light on the femicides occurring in other countries. Readers will root for Mani as she develops the courage to advocate for herself and other girls, even when it's frightening. A great introduction for middle-schoolers and tween readers on topics such as consent and the #MeToo movement.” —Booklist (starred)
“Using perceptive prose, debut author Lapera approaches Guatemala’s fraught history with care and respect, and lovingly spotlights the tension felt in the relationship between a protective mother and the daughter who seeks independence from her.”
—Publishers Weekly
“A poignant, feminist coming-of-age story.”—Kirkus
“Lapera’s writing shines in the rendering of connection and levity with friends and family. There are laugh-out-loud moments, from the bizarre to the everyday. There is inspiration and hope … Amid the frankness about challenging topics, readers will also encounter warmth and a pervading sense of capability and inner strength in finding their own voices.”
—Horn Book
“This impressive debut will make you laugh, cheer, and stand up on the nearest table to protest injustice, probably all before you finish chapter one.” —LitHub
“A beautifully told, poignant story about courage and the power of tradition. Maní’s newly discovered voice will inspire all of us to find our own way to speak out against oppression."
—Award-winning author Francisco X. Stork
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