Purchase to Support Our Program

Américas Book Award

“Martinez'[s] highly episodic first novel is a quiet story that is filled with such coming-of-age staples as mean girls, popularity contests, first romances, sibling rivalries, and more. However, readers will also find the book’s loving portrayal of Chela’s family, its nicely realized setting, and its artful exploration of the problems of assimilation to be both engaging and heartfelt.”

—Booklist

“This is a sweet coming-of-age story, telling of the cruelties of children toward one another and dealing with the loss of a parent. The story should appeal to readers dealing with their own tween years.”

—School Library Journal

“The balance of life on the border of Mexico and Texas is lightly sketched but sure-handed; occasional Spanish phrases and the sense of family and community come through. ”

—Kirkus Reviews

The Smell of Old Lady Perfume

Written by Claudia Guadalupe Martinez
Published by Cinco Puntos Press

In this classic coming-of-age story, Chela faces the challenges of sixth grade after losing her father, her very best friend.

Chela Gonzalez is a nerd and a soccer player who can barely contain her excitement about beginning the sixth grade. But nothing is as she imagined. Her best friend turns on her to join the popular girls, and they all act like she doesn’t exist. Chela buries herself in schoolwork and the warm comfort of her family. To Chela, her family is a solar system with her father the sun and her mother, brothers, and sister like planets rotating around him. It’s the only universe in which she fits in.

But this universe is threatened when her father has a stroke. Chela’s grandmother moves in to help the family, and the smell of her old lady perfume invades the house. The smell is like Sundays, sad, but sure to pass. Death, however, is a whole other thing, and Chela doesn’t realize it’s what everyone is waiting for. Can Chela find her strength amidst her grief and worry and the smell of old lady perfume?

También disponible en Español, Olor a Perfume de Viejita.

Primary ISBN:
Publication Date: May 2011
Available As: Paperback
Middle Grade, Age 11 or older

Community Represented:

Themes: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Setting: United States (Texas)

Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: Unknown Arrival

Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience

Click here for details about how we define our titles.

Engagement Projects & Resources:

Share your favorite resources for this book with info@imyourneighborbooks.org.

Engagement Materials:

Teacher’s Guide 

Source: Lee & Low Books