Summary: When faced with her mother's unexpected death, Lina needs her father more than ever. Unfortunately, her father, a self-professed bibliophile, buries himself in his books rather than giving his daughter the needed attention. Luckily, Lina has her best friend Vanessa to see her through this difficult time. Together, Lina and Vanessa navigate through boys, school, friends and their social life. Lina and her father learn valuable life lessons about the meaning of family throughout the story.
Citation:
Lopez, D. (2009). Confetti girl. New York, NY:
Little Brown.
My Impression: This realistic fiction story will touch your heart as you immerse yourself in the lives of the characters in the story. Lina's journey with her father provides great insight for others to learn from. Middle school readers will relate to the difficulties of being a teen and not being understood by anyone. Overcoming the trials and tribulation of school and friends is sure to inspire others.
Professional Reviews:
Booklist
"Grades 4-7. Living in Corpus Christi, Texas, sixth-grader Lina Flores, along with her father, is trying to put her life back together following her mother’s death. To divert herself, she and her best friend, Vanessa, write Vanessa’s recently divorced mom love poems under the name Silver Fox. Meanwhile, the girls have romances of their own; Lina has set her heart on a classmate with a speech impediment, while Vanessa sneaks around with her boyfriend to evade her disapproving mother. Misunderstandings abound when Lina reacts to her father’s seeming absence, as well as her own grief, by doing poorly in school, but fortunately a supportive counselor helps pull her through. López effectively portrays the Texas setting and the characters’ Latino heritage; Vanessa’s mother deals with her divorce by obsessively making Mexican cascarones—confetti-filled eggshells—and Spanish is sprinkled throughout. This debut novel puts at its center a likable girl facing realistic problems on her own terms."
Booklist. (2009, May 15). [Review of the book Confetti girl, by D. Lopez].
Booklist, 105(18), 43. Retrieved from http://www.booklistonline.com
Horn Book
"Since her mother's unexpected death, Texas middle schooler Lina has had a lot to cope with: a distracted dad, boyfriend-preoccupied best friend, her own new beau, and a failing grade that's keeping her from playing sports. Encouraged by the guidance of dichos (Spanish-language proverbs), Lina realizes that she needs to let her feelings out. Lina is a sympathetic and realistic character."
Horn Book Magazine. (2009, October 10). [Review of the book Confetti
girl, by D. Lopez]. Retrieved from http://www.hbook.com
Uses within the Library:
1. Characters in a Bottle: Each student will use plastic bottles that they brought from home. Students will decorate the outside of the bottle with their favorite character from the story. Next, students will write character traits about their character on slips of paper that they will then place in the bottle. Allow students to share their Character in a Bottle to others as desired.
2. Thumbs up...Thumbs down: Students will speak in front of the class and tell three things they like about the book to give a big "Thumbs up" or three things they didn't like about the book for a "Thumbs down." Then a discussion comparing the critiques will engage students to express their opinions.
Book Cover: Book cover courtesy of the Mansfield Public Library.
Retrieved from http://www.mansfield-tx.gov/departments/library/
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