Status
Available
Publication
Balzer Bray (2023), 416 pages
Library's review
Yamilet is a gay, Mexican American 16-year-old who’s about to start Catholic school.
She tells herself it has more to do with being there for Cesar, her genius brother one year her junior who skipped a grade and earned a scholarship, but there’s more to it. She’s also glad to start over away
A textured and gratifying novel. (author’s note) (Fiction. 13-18)
(Kirkus Reviews)
She tells herself it has more to do with being there for Cesar, her genius brother one year her junior who skipped a grade and earned a scholarship, but there’s more to it. She’s also glad to start over away
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from ex–best friend Bianca, who outed her to their social circle. It’s not easy for Yami to lose someone she trusted as much as Bianca, especially when she feels alone and is still nursing the heartbreak of her dad’s being deported to Mexico 6 years ago. She loves her busy, hardworking, very Catholic mom, but that doesn’t mean Mami would accept her sexuality if she knew the truth. In her new, wealthy, and mostly White school, Yami immediately faces casual racism, but it’s not all bad. She also meets Bo, a Chinese American girl who has chosen the school uniform’s trousers over skirts—paired with rainbow Vans, no less—and they immediately get along. Yami likes how outspoken and confident Bo is, but she’s also intimidated by her new friend’s being an out lesbian. As their friendship blossoms into more, so do the problems with keeping who she is a secret from the world. The portrayal of found family and the threads of love and acceptance woven into this story make it a satisfying read with a hopeful ending.A textured and gratifying novel. (author’s note) (Fiction. 13-18)
(Kirkus Reviews)
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Awards
National Book Award (Finalist — Young People's Literature — 2022)
Lambda Literary Award (Finalist — 2023)
Milwaukee County Teen Book Award (Nominee — 2023)
William C. Morris YA Debut Award (Finalist — 2023)
Volunteer State Book Award (Nominee — High School — 2024)
Books Are My Bag Readers Award (Shortlist — 2023)
ALA Rainbow Book List (Selection — 2023)
North Star YA Award (Nominee — 2024)
Rhode Island Latino Books Award (Nominee — High School — 2024)
Pura Belpré Award (Honor Book — 2023)
Walter Dean Myers Awards for Outstanding Children's Literature (Honor — Teen — 2023)
Best Fiction for Young Adults (Selection — 2023)
CCBC Choices (2023)
Nerdy Book Award (Middle Grade Fiction — 2022)
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Teens (Fiction — 2022)
Rise: A Feminist Book Project for Ages 0-18 (Selection — 2023)
Young Adult Favorites Award (2023)
New York Public Library Best Books: For Teens (Top Ten — Fiction — 2022)
Project LIT Book Selection (Young Adult — 2024)
Great Books for Kids (2022)
MISelf in Books (High School — 2023)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2022
ISBN
9780063060258