Grow Up, Luchy Zapata

May 15, 2024
Luc�a Zapata and Camila Ramirez have been best friends since they were 2. When Cami finally returns to Miami from spending summer vacation visiting family in Colombia, Luchy, who's also Colombian American, is thrilled. She's ready to begin sixth grade with Cami and Chilean American Mateo, her other bestie, by her side. Surely nothing could go wrong. But after Luchy is thrown into the world of middle school, she experiences challenges beyond even her many worries. Cami is suddenly "extra. Extra makeup. Extra cool. Extra popular," and she thinks Mateo's Spider-Man book bag and Luchy's colorful leggings don't project the right image. But why should Luchy change for anyone else? Still, as Cami makes friends who she says are more "mature" and less "babyish," Luchy becomes desperate to get her BFF back. She tries a new look and makes a scrapbook tribute to their friendship, but when those efforts don't yield the desired results, Luchy decides maybe she should teach Cami a lesson instead. Can they learn to understand each other, or will their friendship be ruined forever? Alessandri's latest explores classic middle school themes of trying to fit in versus being yourself, and readers will see themselves and their peers in both Luchy and Cami. The infusion of Colombian cultural elements and Spanish phrases makes this stand out. A sincere journey of navigating friendship and self-discovery. (Fiction. 8-12)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

June 24, 2024
Colombian American 11-year-old Luchy Zapata is thrilled to be starting middle school in Miami with her best friends Cami and Mateo. But since returning from her summer trip to Colombia, Cami has been acting distant and seems concerned with projecting a more mature image. With their once-easy friendship now marred by “awkwardness full of sharp edges,” Luchy—with the help of dependable Mateo—tries to win back her friend. She makes a scrapbook celebrating their shared history and even attempts to modify her style with makeup and “cool” clothes. She eventually joins Cami on the middle school soccer team, certain that doing so will give them more time together and thus fix everything (it might also make Luchy’s soccer-obsessed papi proud). But when Luchy’s cleats go missing on the day of tryouts—and she realizes that Cami is the only other person who knows her locker combination—Luchy vows vengeance. Told via thoughtful and confidently rendered narration, this sincere tale of diverging friendship by Alessandri (The Enchanted Life of Valentina Mejía) is augmented by organically layered subplots surrounding Luchy’s feelings of disconnect from her Colombian heritage and her steadfast friendship with Mateo. Ages 8–12. Agent: Deborah Warren, East West Literary

July 1, 2024
Grades 3-6 The unknown makes Luchy Zapata uncomfortable, so starting middle school feels scary. Her best friend Cami, also Colombian American, has grown up with Luchy, and starting the sixth grade with Cami and their friend Mateo helps Luchy feel a bit more reassured. However, Cami was in Colombia all summer, so she and Luchy were apart. Upon returning, Cami seems different--she's hanging out with the popular girls and has no time for her old friends--and Luchy is struggling to connect. It seems like everyone is changing, but Luchy feels the same. Cami, now into makeup and boys, surprises Luchy when she decides to also try out for soccer with her new friend. Now the old friends are at odds and pranking each other--pranks that soon escalate. Exploring middle-school feelings in a heartfelt way, Alessandri depicts her characters' emotional arcs with earnest realism. Themes of family, identity, and parental expectations are sure to resonate, and Luchy's navigation through feelings of inadequacy, frustration, and exclusion with the help of her family and friends is especially moving.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

August 1, 2024

Gr 3-7-Alessandri's sophomore middle grade novel is sure to be a favorite among preteens as they recognize themselves in Luchy, Cami, and Mateo. This year the trio is headed for sixth grade, and it is the first time they will all be at the same school. They've dreamed of this day ever since they can remember, but during the summer they spent apart, Cami experienced some life-changing events while visiting family in Colombia that lead to her separating herself from Luchy and Mateo. When she returns, she suddenly seems distant and more grown up than Luchy. As a result, jealous rivalry flares its head, and feelings are hurt. Readers will find Luchy endearing and sympathize with her attempts to reconnect with Cami. Mateo is wise beyond his years and a supportive friend to the girls. Set in Miami, this coming-of-age novel deftly weaves Colombian American culture throughout a universally relatable storyline of shifting friendships. VERDICT This realistic friendship tale will be a sure hit with tweens; a must-have for all elementary and middle school libraries.-Beth Brentlinger

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2024
Luchy's birthday marks the end of summer vacation, and she's excited to start middle school; she and her two best friends, Mateo and Cami, are finally going to be at the same school. But when Cami comes back from visiting her family in Colombia, she's changed, and she expects Luchy to change too. Luchy, whose family is also Colombian, likes who she is -- at least, she thought she did. Her family and Mateo encourage her to be herself, but Luchy thinks she needs to "grow up" to try to save her friendship with Cami. Her efforts only lead to an embittered back-and-forth with her friend. When their schism deepens on the soccer field, Luchy is forced to accept that growing up looks different for everyone, and you never know what others might be going through. Set in Miami with lots of multicultural Latine details (Luchy's abuela cooks Cuban recipes that she learned from her friend; Mateo's family is Chilean) and naturally incorporated Spanish, this is an endearing middle-school transition story that ultimately lands in favor of expressing who you are and being open to new and changing friendships. Monica de los Reyes

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2024
Luchy's birthday marks the end of summer vacation, and she's excited to start middle school; she and her two best friends, Mateo and Cami, are finally going to be at the same school. But when Cami comes back from visiting her family in Colombia, she's changed, and she expects Luchy to change too. Luchy, whose family is also Colombian, likes who she is -- at least, she thought she did. Her family and Mateo encourage her to be herself, but Luchy thinks she needs to "grow up" to try to save her friendship with Cami. Her efforts only lead to an embittered back-and-forth with her friend. When their schism deepens on the soccer field, Luchy is forced to accept that growing up looks different for everyone, and you never know what others might be going through. Set in Miami with lots of multicultural Latine details (Luchy's abuela cooks Cuban recipes that she learned from her friend; Mateo's family is Chilean) and naturally incorporated Spanish, this is an endearing middle-school transition story that ultimately lands in favor of expressing who you are and being open to new and changing friendships.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)