Warrior Girl

July 15, 2023
A 12-year-old girl claims her place in a turbulent world. After years of being silenced at school, Mexican American Celina is ready for a clean start. It's not easy starting middle school in a new town, and now her dad has been deported yet again. While she, her mother, and Gramma trust her papacito will find a way to return, as he has before, his absence is always painful. Still, Celi makes one friend, then two more, and the four middle schoolers quickly find refuge and strength in each other. The friendships become lifelines over the course of the year as they face ordinary middle school challenges--homework, mean kids--and broader social turmoil with the emerging Covid-19 pandemic, the killings of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd, increasing awareness of global warming, and more. Tafolla skillfully weaves these significant recent historic moments and the hopeful stories of leaders like Emma Tenayuca and C�sar Ch�vez together with the more specific experiences of the four friends as Celina is racially profiled by a teacher and a Covid death hits close to home. The friends, who are Chicano, are distinct enough, but a few are more thinly drawn; protagonist Celi, an emerging poet, is consistently and vividly rendered, though, and her righteous, powerful, and joyful voice carries the day. An exuberant, rousing celebration of youth activism. (author's note, land acknowledgement) (Verse fiction. 8-12)

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Starred review from July 24, 2023
Using rhythmic first-person verse, Tafolla (I’ll Always Come Back to You) presents messages about the importance of family and friends, social justice, and using one’s voice to incite change. Celina Teresa Guerrera Amaya, 12, is used to frequently moving house, especially because of her Mexican immigrant father’s odd jobs. When her father is deported, she and her mother move to San Antonio to live with Celi’s Gramma. Starting at yet another new school is tough, but Gramma teaches Celi about the history of her ancestors and encourages her to draw strength from their stories. The two develop a strong connection that buoys Celi during difficult times (“Talking with Gramma can be/ a splash of sunshine/ in a dark, cold cave”), and Gramma’s steadfastness, as well as new friendships at school, help Celi navigate the onset of Covid, the Black Lives Matter movement, and fraught familial dynamics. Via the protagonist’s journey to articulate her complex feelings through succinct and polished phrases, Tafolla crafts an astute and evolving heroine. The lyrical verse—structured as Celi’s own poetry, which teachers and Gramma embolden her to pursue—eventually culminates in powerful vocalizations of Celi’s values. Ages 10–up.

September 1, 2023

Gr 5 Up-Mexican American Celina Teresa Guerrera Amaya and her family follow traditions from both cultures. However, in school, her teachers only want her to be American and don't care about her Chicana identity; she tries to go by Tere and the teachers tell her she pronounces her name wrong. Thankfully she has a loving and supporting family and finds friends who understand and respect her culture. With inspiration from her grandmother and the support of a teacher trying to do better, Celina and her friends decide to put on a celebration of different cultures. Things take a turn when a global pandemic hits and the world shuts down. Now, on top of her worries about her father who has been deported, Celina must face a challenging pandemic, fear of her grandmother catching the virus, and finding joy despite it all. But she is a Guerrera, a woman warrior; she has a voice and writing talent, and she can still use that to show the world the beauty of all cultures. Written in verse, this is a timely novel that tackles various struggles teens face, including desire to belong, family conflict, and fighting for what you believe in. Tafolla skillfully writes Celina's voice as a young girl, and allows it to mature as she does. The pandemic is one of the main plot points in the book's second half, and readers should be mindful as it can be a triggering topic for some. For those ready for books covering this era, they will get an insightful, timely, and discussion-worthy read. VERDICT This beautifully written contemporary novel is a highly recommended purchase for library collections.-Amanda Borgia

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2023
Grades 5-8 From a young age, people have tried to suppress Celina's expression of her Mexican heritage, but her grandmother is one of the few who have taught her to be proud of who she is. It has not been easy dealing with the constant moving as her father tries to find work, and more recently, his deportation has left Celina feeling lost. Celina and her mother decide to stay with her grandmother as they work through their situation. At school, she starts to experience some blossoming friendships. Only, just as Celina begins to find her voice through her writing, the pandemic pauses her progress. However, with the help of her friends, Celina gains the courage to be the warrior she was meant to be by making a difference with her writing. Readers who enjoy novels in verse will be moved by Tafolla's touching story. This is an emotional novel about the journey of finding where you belong, making your voice heard, and the friendships you can forge along the way.

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