Lupe Wong Won't Dance

by Donna Barba Higuera

Hardcover, 2020

Status

Available

Genres

Fiction

Collection

Children's Circulating

Publication

Levine Querido (2020), 272 pages

Description

Juvenile Fiction. Juvenile Literature. HTML:My gym shorts burrow into my butt crack like a frightened groundhog. Don't you want to read a book that starts like that?? Lupe Wong is going to be the first female pitcher in the Major Leagues. She's also championed causes her whole young life. Some worthy...like expanding the options for race on school tests beyond just a few bubbles. And some not so much...like complaining to the BBC about the length between Doctor Who seasons. Lupe needs an A in all her classes in order to meet her favorite pitcher, Fu Li Hernandez, who's Chinacan/Mexinese just like her. So when the horror that is square dancing rears its head in gym? Obviously she's not gonna let that slide. Not since Millicent Min, Girl Genius has a debut novel introduced a character so memorably, with such humor and emotional insight. Even square dancing fans will agree...… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member sylliu

Lupe Wong just wants to meet her baseball hero who is Mexican-Chinese like herself, but in order to do that, she must get all As. The only subject standing in her way is PE, which would normally be no problem, except she's about to start the dreaded square-dancing unit. Lupe is determined to fight

the system that forces such old-fashioned activities, and ends up taking on mean kid-culture, exclusionary school policies, and inadvertent racism. Lupe Wong Won't Dance is a delightful read with a funny and strong character who doesn't always get it right on the first try, but always stays true to her convictions.

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LibraryThing member ecataldi

Charming, uplifting, and unique - this middle grade novel is a tour de force. Lupe Wong is willing to do whatever it takes to get straight A's so she can meet her baseball hero, Fu Li Hernandez. Like Lupe Fu Li is Mexicanese/Chinacan and since her father's death there has been a hole in her life

and she is convinced that if she meets Fu Li it will somehow make her closer to her father. The only thing standing in her way is... square dancing. PE was supposed to be her easy A - but when she finds out that she will be required to dance and dance with a boy - she vows to do all in her power to stop it. What starts as merely a crusade against dancing turns into a crusade for cultural identity, friendship, and speaking up for what you believe in. I may or may not have teared up a few times as well. This story is warm, wholesome, and filled with the greatest characters and life lessons. I loved this book with my whole heart!

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LibraryThing member Salsabrarian

Lupe is all about baseball, hoping one day to pitch in the major leagues. Her uncle has promised a meeting with her favorite Seattle Mariner as long as she maintains all A's in her schoolwork. But a square dance unit in PE class may be her undoing, and she goes into activist mode, trying to find a

way to eliminate the activity.

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LibraryThing member ewyatt

When Lupe finds that her chance of straight As might be in jeopardy because of the square dance unit in gym, she's on a mission to get the unit tossed. She frequently goes to her principal, the teacher, and even starts a change.org petition. She digs up a problematic history in some of the music

used. But she has to dig deep to figure it out. Her friendships get strained, she feels like she doesn't fit. She sticks to her guns to follow her moral compass and points out to the adults sticking to traditions the way the old ways exclude and changes that could be made to include. And the powers that be are open to doing better once they know better. A touching conclusion. Lupe embraces both her Mexican and Chinese background. Lupe can be prickly, but she is loyal, caring, and relies on her inner voice (her dad's advice) to help her navigate tough stuff.

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LibraryThing member reader1009

audio children's middlegrade fiction (7+ hours) - "Mexicanese" middleschool baseball pitcher endures squaredance unit in P.E., has a fight with her best friend, learns to listen more to her friends and be less self-absorbed.

Middleschoolers are just the worst. Aside from the usual bullies and

embarrassments, this book tackles some questions about traditions (like squaredancing) that might have some ugly things associated with them. Not sure if it's a standout, but it's a pretty solid addition to the genre.

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LibraryThing member sweetiegherkin

Lupe Wong has a deal with her uncle Hector: If she gets all As on her seventh-grade report card, he’ll introduce her to her favorite professional baseball player whom she idolizes, in part because like herself, he is half Chinese and half Mexican. Gym class seems like it’ll be an easy A for the

sports proficient Lupe – that is until her coach introduces a new unit on square dancing. Lupe is dead set against having to dance with her classmates, and even more so when she learns it’s strictly boy-girl couples. How can Lupe convince her school that square dancing is so obsolete that it should be abolished from the curriculum?

This was a fun and entertaining read, with excellent craftsmanship in the writing and main characters (and even side characters) who were well rounded and felt frankly real. There is actual inclusivity here, not just tokenism, with Lupe’s multiethnic family and two best friends who are respectively Black and autistic, as well as other characters of color and diverse family backgrounds. None of these characters are defined solely by these traits, however; instead they have hobbies, interests, back stories, etc. From Star Trek vs. Star Wars face-offs to a miniature city of mice bones pulled from owl vomit (yup, you read that right) named “New Yack,” these are unforgettable character quirks.

I will note that Higuera is a bit crass at times with her language, because that is how Lupe’s personality works – and honestly, that of the middle grade audience this book is intended to reach. Puke, pee, etc. are all fair play. However, she also makes mention of things like STDs (the context being Lupe protesting against the use of the song “Cotton-Eyed Joe” in gym class to try and shut down square dancing), so readers may need some level of maturity for this book.

Also, Higuera’s by-and-large humorous book does tackle some very heavy issues including the death of a parent (in the past, but the family is obviously still dealing with the grief), bullying / friendship issues, and racism. These issues are handled deftly and overall positive messages about striving to be a better person are conveyed without being didactic or heavy handed.

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LibraryThing member acargile

This novel is a 2022 Lone Star novel.

Lupe Wong works toward one goal: to be the first major league female pitcher. She admires Fu Li Hernandez because he reminds her of her father and he is half Mexican and half Chinese, just like Lupe. Fu Li says that if she makes straight As, she can meet him.

Lupe maintains good grades and knows she can do it, until the new unit in PE is revealed: square dancing. Lupe Wong loves a cause. She puts together slideshows to try and convince people to change policies. One example is when Lupe wanted a Mexican-Chinese ethnicity choice because she shouldn't have to select "Other." Lupe enlists her two best friends, Andy and Niles, for help to stop this travesty known as square dancing. It's archaic and ridiculous---and will keep her from the "A" she needs. Sometimes Lupe only sees her own world as she is blinded by her causes, pulling Niles and Andy in without seeing what's going on with them, especially with Andy. Both Lupe and Andy protect Niles from sensory overload, as he struggles with noises and lots of people. They represent a diverse group of friends, which represents a true middle school.

Lupe worries constantly that she won't make an "A" in PE. As the reader, you'll be amused and may even roll your eyes as Lupe comes up with a "new plan" constantly to try and stop the madness of square dancing. It seems that everyone across the nation has square dancing as a requirement, which is odd. Whoever dances best will perform in front of the student body. Nightmare. As the novel progresses and Lupe changes her tactics, new policies come about that make the situation better? worse? depends on who you ask in the novel.

I wasn't sure what I thought as I was reading this novel. Upon finishing it, I find myself smiling as I think back on it. I truly do like it. It's about changing "what we've always done" into something new that leaves the prejudices of the past behind. So often we don't even know where things come from. Once the origins are discovered, they can be surprising. I have to say the principal is very patient. She and the coach put up with Lupe. They listen to her and change as they need to. That's another important aspect of this novel: listen to others. The characters reflect a typical middle school pretty good. Overall, the messages the book wants to convey reflect positive changes that make our lives more balanced, whole, and accepting. It was actually a fun novel.

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LibraryThing member jennybeast

Issaquah, WA Middle schooler Lupe Wong loves baseball and is deeply upset that her PE requirement is square dancing. She works on getting this changed. One of her best friends is autistic. Kinda salty in an appropriate way (farts, boogers, etc) -- and I love the irreverence of it -- Lupe's

character is so matter of factly herself, and she does not give up. I was fascinated to learn the history of square dancing in middle school, of several of the songs that are traditionally used (even though that history is ugly) and I loved to see her activism bear fruit. I also really loved that the teachers and principal were so willing to hear her, even if they weren't willing to change their minds, and I loved the cringy/goofy adults celebrating square dancing, because dance makes us feel good in a way that nothing else can. Great story.

Advanced Reader's Copy provided by Edelweiss

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LibraryThing member foggidawn

Lupe's dad once told her that when she was passionate about something, she should never settle for less. She's taken that advice to heart, especially since her dad died soon after that in a tragic accident. Her previous causes have included things like getting more race options on school forms for

biracial kids like herself, but she may have just met her Waterloo: square dancing. Why should square dancing be part of the 7th grade PE curriculum? It's not even a sport! As Lupe's efforts to escape her square dancing nightmare intensify, she finds her social standing and even her closest friendships at risk. Is it worth it, or should she bow (and do-si-do) to the inevitable?

Lupe is a great, strong character, and the secondary characters (both adults and Lupe's classmates) are likewise well-drawn. I enjoyed Lupe's sometimes-misguided activism. Kids will enjoy the booger and fart jokes. Win-win!

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LibraryThing member bell7

Lupe Wong is of Chinese and Mexican heritage, the first string pitcher on her 7th grade baseball team, and determined to be the first woman pitcher in the major leagues. Her uncle has told her that if she gets straight As, he'll introduce her to Fu Li, a pitcher she's looked up to and of the same

mixed heritage as she. But this PE quarter may throw off all her grand plans, because they're doing a unit on square dancing.

Joining Lupe are a great cast of characters, family and friends, who support her, misunderstand her, and have back stories in their own right that readers occasionally see through Lupe's first-person narration or in conversations with her. Lupe is young, and sometimes makes mistakes with her friends Niles and Andy, seeing things narrowly through her own point of view and using them to her own ends. And she's still mourning the passing of her father. I found myself, as an adult reader, sometimes irritated with her inability to see outside of herself, but I think a child reader would sympathize more and that it was a realistic. Lupe grows over the course of the novel: she's always fiery and taking up causes, but exactly how she does that - especially in relation to square dancing - shifts from a demand to stop it because she doesn't want to do it to a more nuanced acknowledgement of the good and the bad of it, and a desire to be more inclusive in general.

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