Overview

PURA BELPRÉ HONOR BOOK - A powerful young adult novel-in-verse about a Texas teen battling racism in her theater program and book banning efforts by her town's school board--from the acclaimed author of Aniana del Mar Jumps In. An International Literacy Association Notable Book for a Global Society - Selected for ALA's Rise: A Feminist Book Project List Yulieta Lopez is angry. Angry at her racist drama teacher who refuses to cast Black students in lead roles. Angry at the school board threatening her favorite teacher for teaching works of literature that they deem ""controversial."" Angry that she has to keep quiet until she can head to college and leave Texas forever. Yuli is accustomed to playing various roles: the diligent daughter, the honorable hija, the good girl who serves everyone else before serving herself. But as the fire of Yuli's rage spreads and lights her up, she can no longer be silent. Determined to find a way to fight back, Yuli and her friends start a guerilla theatre club which stirs things up and gets people talking, and finally, Yuli steps into the role she was always meant to play.

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Reviews

★ ""A powerful love letter to finding and using your voice, this story will resonate deeply with those who struggle to feel seen and nurtured, particularly young women of color... A compelling drama with a firecracker protagonist that stuns with its strikingly beautiful writing."" --Kirkus, starred review ★ ""The perfect read for teens who are being impacted by book banning and other sociopolitical changes."" --Booklist, starred review ""Mendez's poetry flows effortlessly, fully realizing Yuli's struggles and joy...A must-have for all YA collections."" --School Library Journal ""This poignant novel...marries verse poems with playwriting in a narrative that centers timely questions about banned books and free speech. Passionate text that braids together Spanish and English deftly depicts Yuli's journey from an aspiring actor in the wings of the real world to the fearless ""leading lady"" of her own life."" --Publishers Weekly ""Both timely and disheartening in its realism, the book ends with a hopeful note about the significance of unheard stories that need to be told."" --BCCB

Author Information

Jasminne Mendez is two-time Pura Belpré Honor Award recipient and a Dominican-American poet, playwright and author of several books for children and adults. She is also a poet, playwright, translator, and professional audiobook narrator. Her book Aniana del Mar Jumps In (Dial), a novel in verse about a young girl diagnosed with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal and others. Her YA memoir, Islands Apart: Becoming Dominican American (Arte Público Press) and her debut poetry collection, City Without Altar (Noemi Press), were recently recognized with honors and awards by the Texas Institute of Letters and her debut picture book Josefina's Habichuelas (Arte Público Press) was the 2022 Writer's League of Texas Children's Book Discovery Prize Winner. She has translated Amanda Gorman's best-selling picture books Change Sings (La canción del cambio) and Something, Someday (Algo, algún día), the best selling picture book The 1619 Project: Born on the Water (El proyecto 1619: Nacieron sobre el agua) by Nikole Hannah Jones and Reneé Watson and the Pura Belpré Award Winning graphic novel Frizzy (Rizos) by Claribel Ortega.

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