Monday, October 10, 2011

A quinceañera for a tomboy?

The cover says it all for Sweet 15 by Emily Adler and Alex Echevarria. Destiny is 14 and is quite happy being a tomboy and skateboarding with her buddy Omar. But her 15th birthday is coming up, and her Puerto Rican parents are all set on providing with her a big, fancy quinceañera. Destiny knows her family can't afford it, and her feminist older sister is totally opposed to the idea. Her friends try to help, but Stephanie is African-American, Erin is Jewish, and both are well off, so they don't quite get Destiny's problem. And what to do about Omar, who might be starting to like her in more than a friendly way, and Nicholas the cute new guy? The story moves quickly, the conversations are funny, and the family and friend dynamics are believable, as Destiny figures out how to speak up for herself.

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