Synopses & Reviews
It's summer before eighth grade, and Erica "Chia" Montenegro is feeling so many things that she needs a mood ring to keep track of her emotions. She's happy when she hangs out with her best friends, the Robins. She's jealous that her genius little sister skipped two grades. And she's passionate about the crushes on her Boyfriend Wish list. And when Erica's mom is diagnosed with breast cancer, she feels worried and doesn't know what she can do to help.
When her family visits a cuarto de milagros, a miracle room in a famous church, Erica decides to make a promesa to God in exchange for her mom's health. As her mom gets sicker, Erica quickly learns that juggling family, friends, school, and fulfilling a promesa is stressful, but with a little bit of hope and a lot of love, she just might be able to figure it out.
Confetti Girl author Diana Lopez returns with this sweet, funny, and utterly honest story about being a girl in a world full of good (and bad) surprises.
Review
Praise for Ask My Mood Ring How I Feel:A VOYA Top Shelf for Middle School Readers Pick2nd Place Winner of the 2014 NACCS Tejas Award for Young Adult FictionA Bank Street College Children's Book Committee Best Book of 2014 Selection
"A funny and heartfelt story...Balancing the heavy subject matter with generous doses of humor and an authentic young teen voice, López crafts a story that blends family and middle school drama successfully."--Kirkus Reviews
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"López (Choke) skillfully balances emotional moments with humorous ones, offering an honest portrait of a family under strain. Chia's clever, cheeky voice and a strong cast contribute to an inspiring story about developing "a special kind of bravery."--Publishers Weekly
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"The many characters in Chia's life are individually and lovingly drawn...Readers will feel like Chia's family and friends could do anything as long as they stick together-and they may be right."--Booklist
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"Chia's voice shines...A fast-moving, absorbing read about how one person's illness can affect the whole family in many different ways."--School Library Journal
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"An honest, sometimes uncomfortable, but always hopeful look at how cancer affects family....Erika's story is full of the healing power of love." --Guadalupe Garcia McCall, author of Summer of the Mariposas and Pura Belpre Award winner Under the Mesquite Tree
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"[This is a] story of struggle, of surviving, and what is oftentimes a difficult healing, but a healing nevertheless. My own
promesa after reading Lopez's wonderful novel: to run alongside my wife and hundreds of thousands of others on that day of the Race for the Cure from here henceforth."
--
René Saldaña Jr., author of A Good Long WayReview
"There is much substance and a powerful story here."--Library Media Connection
Review
Praise for Confetti Girl:"This debut novel puts at its center a likable girl facing realistic problems on her own terms."--Booklist
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"An appealing coming-of-age novel set in a traditional Mexican-American town."--Kirkus
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"López delicately displays the power of optimism and innovation during difficult times."--Publishers Weekly
About the Author
Diana López is the author of the novels
Choke and
Confetti Girl, which won the 2012 William Allen White Award. She is the editor of the journal
Huizache and the managing director of CentroVictoria, an organization devoted to promoting Mexican American literature. She lives in South Texas and teaches at the University of Houston-Victoria. You can visit her website at ww.dianalopezbooks.com.