2020 Pura Belpre Honor Book
A Junior Library Guild Selection
ALSC Notable Children's Book
019 Deirdre Siobhan FlynnBass Award for Best Middle Grade Book
2020 Spirit of Texas Reading Program Recommended Title
Quijana is a girl in pieces. One-half Guatemalan, one-half American : When Quijana's Guatemalan cousins move to town, her dad seems ashamed that she doesn't know more about her family's heritage. One-half crush, one-half buddy : When Quijana meets Zuri and Jayden, she knows she's found true friends. But she can't help the growing feelings she has for Jayden. One-half kid, one-half grown-up : Quijana spends her nights Skyping with her ailing grandma and trying to figure out what's going on with her increasingly hard-to-reach brother. In the course of this immersive and beautifully written novel, Quijana must figure out which parts of herself are most important, and which pieces come together to make her whole. This lyrical debut from Rebecca Balcarcel is a heartfelt poetic portrayal of a girl growing up, fitting in, and learning what it means to belong.
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Rebecca Balcarcel received the Jane Kenyon Poetry Prize, and her work has appeared in journals such as the North American Review . She is an associate professor of English at Tarrant County College. She lives in Bedford, Texas.
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