Mani Semilla Encuentra Su Voz de Quetzal

Para los fans de Lupe Wong no baila, de Donna Barba Higuera, y La luna dentro de m , de Aida Salazar, llega una novela contempor nea de escuela secundaria llena de coraje y esp ritu activista.

La vida apesta cuando tienes doce a os. Ya no eres una ni a peque a, pero tampoco eres una adulta, y todos los mayores a tu alrededor empiezan a hablar de tu cuerpo en cuanto comienza a cambiar. Y qu es peor que ser una ni a china-filipina-estadounidense-guatemalteca que no habla bien ninguna de sus lenguas ancestrales? Ser, adem s, una de las pocas chicas en la escuela que a n no ha tenido su primera regla, junto con sus dos mejores amigas.

Manuela "Mani" Semilla quiere dos cosas: que le llegue la regla y frustrar el plan de su mam de llevarla a Guatemala en su decimotercer cumplea os. Si su madre siempre habla de lo peligroso que es Guatemala y de cu nto sacrific para venir a este pa s, por qu Mani deber a querer ir a visitar?

Pero un d a, en el tico, encuentra cartas secretas entre su madre y su t a Beatriz, quien, seg n la historia familiar, muri en un accidente de autob s antes de que Mani naciera. Sin embargo, las cartas revelan una verdad diferente. Por qu su familia realmente se fue de Guatemala? Qu descubrir Mani sobre s misma en el proceso? Y c mo podr n esas cartas ayudarla a enfrentarse a la cultura del acoso en su propia escuela?

Reconocimiento para Mani Semilla encuentra su voz de quetzal

Medallista de Plata del International Latino Book Award

Finalista del Premio Libro Infantil Jane Addams

Selecci n del Proyecto de Libros Feministas RISE de la Asociaci n de Biblioteca Estadounidense

Mejor del A o:
School Library Journal - Booklist - Biblioteca P blica de Nueva York - Libros de Justicia Social

"Anna Lapera retrata con maestr a las dificultades de una joven en la secundaria, pero con una voz tan aut ntica y conmovedora que te har encogerte de emoci n en un momento y celebrar en el siguiente. Teje una historia nica, llena de humor, tensiones familiares y secretos, mientras una ni a aprende a liberar su voz del miedo y a tomar su poder."
-- Donna Barba Higuera, Ganadora de la Medalla Newbery

"Este impresionante debut te har re r, animarte y pararte en la mesa m s cercana para protestar contra la injusticia, probablemente todo antes de terminar el primer cap tulo."
-- LitHub

★ "Una mirada poderosa a la acci n colectiva que demuestra que cuando alzamos la voz juntos, no solo hacemos ruido: cantamos. No te lo puedes perder."
-- School Library Journal (rese a estelar)

★ "Los lectores apoyar n a Mani a medida que desarrolle el coraje para defenderse a s misma y a otras ni as, incluso cuando sea aterrador. Una excelente introducci n para estudiantes de secundaria y lectores preadolescentes sobre temas como el consentimiento y el movimiento #MeToo."
-- Booklist (rese a estelar)

"Una historia conmovedora y bellamente contada sobre el coraje y el poder de la tradici n. La voz reci n descubierta de Mani nos inspirar a todos a encontrar nuestra propia manera de hablar contra la opresi n."
-- Francisco X. Stork, autor galardonado

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Best of the Year: School Library Journal - Booklist - NYPL - Social Justice Books

For fans of Donna Barba Higuera's Lupe Wong Won't Dance and Aida Salazar's The Moon Within comes Mani Semilla Finds Her Quetzal Voice - a contemporary middle grade novel full of spunk and activist heart.

Life sucks when you're twelve. You're not a little kid, but you're also not an adult, and all the grown-ups in your life talk about your body the minute it starts getting a shape. And what sucks even more than being a Chinese-Filipino-American-Guatemalan who can't speak any ancestral language well? When almost every other girl in school has already gotten her period except for you and your two besties.

Manuela "Mani" Semilla wants two things: To get her period, and to thwart her mom's plan of taking her to Guatemala on her thirteenth birthday. If her mom's always going on about how dangerous it is in Guatemala, and how much she sacrificed to come to this country, then why should Mani even want to visit?

But one day, up in the attic, she finds secret letters between her mom and her T a Beatriz, who, according to family lore, died in a bus crash before Mani was born. But the letters reveal a different story. Why did her family really leave Guatemala? What will Mani learn about herself along the way? And how can the letters help her to stand up against the culture of harassment at her own school?

P R A I S E

"Anna Lapera expertly voices a young girl's middle school trials, but with a voice so unique and heartfelt you will be cringing one moment and cheering the next. She weaves a distinctive story filled with humor, family heartache, and secrets while a young girl releases the fear of her voice and grasps its power."
--Newbery Medalist Donna Barba Higuera

★ "With strong writing, frank conversations about periods, anatomy, and bodily autonomy, plus dynamic characters, this solidly upper middle grade/lower YA story will empower readers, affirm their own middle school experiences, and show that people should be held accountable for the many daily offenses girls and women are subjected to. A powerful look at collective action that shows when we raise our voices together, we don't just make noise--we sing. Not to be missed." --School Library Journal (starred)

★ "Lapera's debut novel focuses on the disparities against women, shedding light on the femicides occurring in other countries. Readers will root for Mani as she develops the courage to advocate for herself and other girls, even when it's frightening. A great introduction for middle-schoolers and tween readers on topics such as consent and the #MeToo movement." --Booklist (starred)

"Using perceptive prose, debut author Lapera approaches Guatemala's fraught history with care and respect, and lovingly spotlights the tension felt in the relationship between a protective mother and the daughter who seeks independence from her."
--Publishers Weekly

"A poignant, feminist coming-of-age story."--Kirkus
"Lapera's writing shines in the rendering of connection and levity with friends and family. There are laugh-out-loud moments, from the bizarre to the everyday. There is inspiration and hope ... Amid the frankness about challenging topics, readers will also encounter warmth and a pervading sense of capability and inner strength in finding their own voices."
--Horn Book

"This impressive debut will make you laugh, cheer, and stand up on the nearest table to protest injustice, probably all before you finish chapter one." --LitHub

"A beautifully told, poignant story about courage and the power of tradition. Man 's newly discovered voice will inspire all of us to find our own way to speak out against oppression."
--Award-winning author Francisco X. Stork