SLIS 5420 - Module 6- Book Blog - Confetti Girl

 

What's one thing almost all preteen/teenagers have in common? They're embarrassed by something (or everything) their parent's do. Lina's father is all about books and doesn't hide this. Her best friend's mother is all about making cascarones, the confetti filled eggs. Together these girls try to discover themselves and what makes them unique and what makes them the same. Lina loves socks. This is a funny little quirk that adds to her personality and makes the reader feel like they really know her. The Latino aspects of this book make it a great read for all students in our ever shrinking world that includes the Latino culture a great deal, especially in the Texas region.

Library Uses

I would use this book to study the Latino culture. I would pull out all the truism's in the book and have students tell what they mean in their own words and try to give examples for when they might use them in their own lives. I would also have the students make cascarones. 

Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Apolonia "Lina" Flores is a brave Latina girl trying to restore her life in Corpus Christi, Tex., after her mother's death. Her dad is a single-minded English teacher and bibliophile who has withdrawn to the point of disappearance since the tragedy ("Sometimes when I dream about him, I see a body, a neck, and a book where his face should be," Lina says). Despite her frustrations with her father, sixth-grader Lina is determined to create her own world of fun. "People who think socks are just for feet have no imagination," she says (she collects them and uses them for "coasters, bookmarks, wallets, and dusters"). Alongside Vanessa (her "best friend since forever"), Lina gains confidence by playing sports and relying on her own ingenuity (she dresses up as "red tide" one Halloween). The story is saturated with Spanish traditions, such as the making of "cascarones" (confetti-filled eggs), and the chapters begin with "dichos," truisms that help Lina feel connected to her mother. Employing lovely metaphors and realistic dialogue, adult author López (Sofia's Saints) delicately displays the power of optimism and innovation during difficult times. Ages 8-12. (June)
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Children's Literature

Lina knows what she likes. She likes volleyball, science, socks, and Luis. What she does not like is how her best friend, Vanessa, now spends more time with Carlos than with her, how her dad would rather read books than have dinner with her, and, most of all, she does not like that her mom died. As all of the characters in this novel try to accept the new changes in their lives, one thing brings them all together, cascarones. Usually only prepared at Easter, Ms. Cantu has been channeling her stress by making these hollowed out eggshells filled with confetti year round. As Lina and her father try to navigate their life using dichos, Spanish proverbs, they discover that their differences do not have to drive them apart, and they can stop walking on eggshells. This book is set in Texas, and there is a delicious Spanish flavor that spices up this book and adds a hint of culture. Included in the book is a list of all the dichos, as well as instructions on how to make your own cascarones. Reviewer: Renee Farrah

School Library Journal

Gr 4-8–Lina attends middle school in Corpus Cristi, TX, has a crush on classmate Luís, loves science and sports, and has a sock obsession as a result of her pants never being long enough for her tall body. Her best friend, Vanessa Cantu, lives across the street with her mother, who is still bitter about a divorce that happened a few years earlier. Lina’s mother died last year, and her father is still grieving but struggling to live up to his responsibilities. Dichos, Spanish sayings or proverbs, are translated at the top of every chapter. Spanish phrases are sprinkled throughout the text, reflecting Lina’s bilingual community. The budding romance, and typical middle school events such as detention, lunchroom disasters, and reports, keep things moving. Lina is essentially a sunny, happy child and her sadness and anger are more blips on the radar than real angst. A subplot about Luís’s stuttering seems extraneous. Quite typical in characters, plot, and style, this story is most notable for its casual introduction to Spanish language and culture, overtly accessible to all.–Carol A. Edwards, Denver Public Library