Synopses & Reviews
Estrella Alvarez is turning fifteen, and she's not happy about it. For as long as she can remember, her mother has been planning an elaborate quinceanera, complete with a mariachi band, cheesy decorations, and a hideous dress. Estrella is so over it. She'd much rather have an understated dinner party at a posh restaurant downtown that way, she can invite her two best friends from private school, who have no idea Estrella lives in the barrio. Even though Estrella tries to keep her home life a secret from her school friends, things get even more complicated when she falls for Speedy, a cholo whom her new friends and her parents would definitely disapprove of.
Caught between her family's wishes and the allure of her sophisticated friends, Estrella is forced to make some tough choices. This funny, touching book follows one girl's struggle to figure out who she really wants to be.
Review
"The reader will enjoy following Estrella through her trials, tribulations, and triumphs. This funny, touching story is a real coming-of-age gem." Children's Literature
Review
"Alegria endows her first novel...with a fine sense of place and lively situations complemented by a colorful array of characters who hold the reader's interest. A Spanish-English glossary helps with idiomatic expressions and regional terms." VOYA
Review
"The tone of the book is light, but the teen's journey through the maze of culture and class is deftly handled." School Library Journal
Synopsis
In this touching debut novel, Estrella Alvarez is about to turn 15, and there's nothing her meddling mother and T'a Lucky want more than to throw her a gaudy "quinceaera" a party that Estrella would rather avoid.
Synopsis
For as long as Estrella Alvarez can remember, her mother has been planning to throw her an elaborate quinceaand#241;era for her fifteenth birthday -- complete with a mariachi band, cheesy decorations, and a hideous dress. Just thinking about her quince makes Estrella cringe. But her mother insists that it's tradition. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; Estrella has other things on her mind, anyway -- like dating Speedy. Does it matter that her new friends -- and her parents -- would never approve of a guy from el barrio? Estrella's almost fifteen and wants to start making her own decisions. But is she ready to find out who she is -- and who she really wants to be?
About the Author
andlt;bandgt;Maland#237;n Alegrand#237;aandlt;/bandgt; is the author of andlt;Iandgt;Estrella's Quinceaand#241;eraandlt;/iandgt;. She is an accomplished educator, dancer, and actress who has cowritten and performed in several stage plays. Ms. Alegrand#237;a lives in San Francisco.