Gabi, A Girl in Pieces

It's so refreshing to read a novel that gets the whole Latina experience. Quintero shows us sixteen-year-old Gabi, who's sassy, smart, hilarious, loyal, and struggles with her love of nom-worthy Mexican food. A chica after my own heart.

What worked:

Just about everything! Told in journal format, readers are able to get a glimpse into the cultural expectations to be the 'good' girl while Gabi just wants to know what her place is in life. She loves a good flaquita, her best friends Sebastian(who has his own issues with coming out), Cindy, and writing poetry.

I loved seeing into Gabi's life, which rung so true to me. As a former bilingual teacher, I not only taught Mexican-American students but was able to visit their families. So many of the portrayals of this community were so real--the fear of a daughter leaving home, a bossy, judgmental relative using the whole guilt trip if you even thought of a boy, wondering if you're 'bad' to think about kissing a boy, and challenging the whole 'boys will only be boys' mentality after a friend confesses a terrible event. Kuddos for Quintero for not flinching at so-called sensitive tops like rape, homophobia, and racism in a non preachy way!

It would have been easy to make Gabi the stereotypical chola-gang girl-but instead Quintero fleshed her out by not only showing her strengths but some vulnerabilities that teens will relate with. Her struggles with wanting to be skinny but loving to eat; loving her drug addict father; and wanting to get out of her town but scared to leave her friends/family behind.

I loved the whole voice of this novel so much. Reading it had me craving those homemade green tamales one of my former parents used to make for me every Tuesday. This novel is rich with insights into a very real teen who comes at age at the end of the book. I loved Gabi and know if I was a teen, I'd totally hang with her. I know readers will come to love her too!