Summary: As Gabi Hernandez enters her senior year
in high school, her best friend Cindy announces she is pregnant, and their
other best friend Sabastian finally tells his parents he is gay, after which he
is kicked out of the house. Gabi's
family is also quite dysfunctional, particularly because her adored father is a
meth addict and leaves for weeks at a time to live on the streets. Gabi is a
talented writer, and excels in her new poetry class where she meets and falls
in love with Martin. She has body issues over her weight, of which her mother
continually reminds her, and talks about exercising but instead obsesses on
food and binges with every new stress in her life. She expresses herself in her journal, through her poetry and
the letters she writes but never sends. She loves her Mexican culture, and
sometimes worries she is too Americanized, but she embraces her intelligence
and independence and works hard to get into a good college to break the
traditional mold. She must cope
with her father's death from an overdose, her mother's and friend's unplanned
pregnancies, helping raise an infant brother along with a rebelish teenage
brother, as well as all the drama of high school. She is placed on suspension from school and not allowed to
attend her graduation ceremony after starting a fight with the boy who raped
her best friend Cindy, but in the end, celebrates with her family and friends
with the optimistic belief her life will turn out all right.
Commentary: This is a fictional account told in
first person by Gabi, and you can envision a real teenager in a stereotypical
Mexican-American neighborhood through the vivid descriptions. The book uses humorist, realistic
teenage language, and makes it even more interesting in the use of many Spanish
phrases as evidence of their bilingual culture. Gabi is very inspiring in that she makes the best of her
imperfect life, stays true to herself with her strong views and independence,
but also remains loyal to her friends and family. There is a strong, loving bond between the characters even
while exposing their flaws. The
book is appropriate for ages 14 and up, and provides a great message of
supporting those close to you, making the very best of your situation, and
staying true to yourself.
Connections: How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran and Friendswood by Rene Steinke
Connections: How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran and Friendswood by Rene Steinke
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