The Other Half of Happy

Written by Rebecca Balcarcel
Published by Chronical Books

Quijana must figure out which parts of herself are most important, and which pieces come together to make her whole. This is a heartfelt poetic portrayal of a girl growing up, fitting in, and learning what it means to belong. When Quijana’s Guatemalan cousins move to town, her dad seems ashamed that she doesn’t know more about her family’s heritage. One-half crush, one-half buddy: When Quijana meets Zuri and Jayden, she knows she’s found true friends. But she can’t help the growing feelings she has for Jayden. One-half kid, one-half grown-up: Quijana spends her nights Skyping with her ailing grandma and trying to figure out what’s going on with her increasingly hard-to-reach brother. A wonderful gift for bilingual and bicultural readers, introspective tweens and teens, and parents and educators. Perfect for those who love the heart of Matt de la Pena, the honesty of Meg Medina, and the poetry of Kate DiCamillo. Add it to the shelf with books like We Were Here by Matt de la Pena, Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Meg Medina, and I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez