Perfect for fans of The Proudest Blue and Alma and How She Got Her Name -- a warm tale about celebrating sisterly love, family, and quinceañeras by Pura Belpré winner, Yamile Saied Méndez!
Two sisters, Ellie and Isabella, have been dreaming of Isabella’s quinceañera for months and now the day is finally here. The house is bustling with preparations for the party and Ellie is determined to help make her big sister’s day as special as possible. But making flower arrangements is harder than Ellie expected and decorating the cake almost ends in disaster! Will Ellie be able to do something special for Isabella before the party is over?
Award-winning author Yamile Saied Méndez has crafted a beautiful ode to sisterly love and the magic of quinceañeras. Acclaimed illustrator Christine Almeda's bright and colorful art brings a lively energy to this sweet story.
Reviews:
A heartfelt celebration of sisterhood and culture, seen through the eyes of an enthusiastic younger sibling.
Ellie’s big sister, Isabella, is about to celebrate her quinceañera.
The milestone is a special event marking a girl’s 15th birthday and her transition into womanhood, observed in Spain, Latin America, and the Philippines. Although Isabella is 10 years older than Ellie, the two are best friends. Both sisters are excited about the quinceañera, but Isabella confides that she’s also nervous. As Isabella is whisked away to get ready for the celebration, Ellie is left behind, eager to help prepare for the party but struggling to find a job she can do at her age—flower arranging proves too difficult, and the cake is far too delicate for Ellie to help decorate. When the party begins, Ellie is awestruck by her sister’s elegance, although Isabella’s busy schedule keeps them apart. Unexpectedly, in a touching moment, Isabella publicly expresses her love for Ellie and invites her to share a special dance, making the evening unforgettable. This well-crafted narrative weaves together themes of sisterly love and the community’s role in celebrating a young person’s coming of age. The customs and traditions of the quinceañera shine in this warm family tale, and children who are much younger than their big siblings will relate to Ellie’s earnest desire to be included in the festivities. Dominated by pinks and reds, the illustrations are suffused with a soft glow. The family is Latine.
A heartfelt celebration of sisterhood and culture, seen through the eyes of an enthusiastic younger sibling. (information on quinceañeras) (Picture book. 5-8)
★ "Unfurls in bouts of profound tragedies and hopeful triumphs, all wonderfully presented in Méndez’s rich, lyrical prose... A fierce, timely, and beautifully executed ode to artistic expression imbued with a spirit of optimism."― Kirkus (starred)“Méndez adeptly draws readers into the lived experience of the people from this time period. She beautifully captures the ambience [and] conveys the sense of terror that so many people felt and their desire for a more hopeful future… Recommended for readers who enjoy historical fiction that explores themes of authoritarianism and social upheaval with an ensemble cast of characters.”― School Library Journal“Raw and heartbreaking… a haunting, morally urgent tale of art, resistance, and memory.”― Publishers Weekly“Emotional, timely… Méndez’s touchpoints of Argentina’s history...create an intense landscape she peoples with a rich community of fully fleshed-out characters whose interactions highlight the importance of bearing witness, caring for others, and fighting back while living in an increasingly authoritarian regime.”
― Horn Book
“Poignant… complex… There is a lyrical grace to this novel, even when awful things are being described, that befits a novel built around the power of music to both disrupt and heal… the cost of resistance is often distressingly high, a fact that contemporary teens may find just as haunting and powerful as the young members of Río Babel fifty years ago.” ― Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
“Méndez constructs a tragic, heart-wrenching story within a story that delves into resistance, resilience, and the power of song. The characters are complex and sympathetic, which makes some of their fates painful yet galvanizing. This is for readers who welcome books that confront tragedy, especially fans of historical fiction, music, and fighting authoritarianism.” ― Booklist
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Yamile (sha-MEE-lay) is an Argentine-American author. She’s the mother of 5 kids and 2 adorable dogs. Yamile’s an inaugural Walter Dean Meyers Grant recipient, a graduate of Voices of our Nation (VONA) and the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA Writing for Children program.
