Immigrant & New Generation Books

Written by Vanessa Ramos
Illustrated by Eugenia Nobati
Published by Stone Arch Books

Sixth grade is hard enough, but Mexican American Selena Estrella Herrera has to do it in a new town.

Her family has moved to El Paso to help care for her grandfather (who seems not to want them there and insists on speaking only Spanish).

One upside to being at a new school, though, is that she can finally leave behind her embarrassing obsession with musical megastar Selena–whom her parents named her after even though she can’t sing.

She renames herself *Strella, avoids her grouchy grandfather, and tries to move on with her life.

Then *Strella starts a National History Day project. The topic her team chooses? Selena.

Can *Strella embrace her Tejano heritage and her old love of Selena and still become her own person?

And will she ever discover what her own gifts are?

In diary format, the Nuestras Voces series profiles inspiring characters from yesterday and today, and honors the joys, challenges, and outcomes of Latino experiences.

Primary ISBN: 9781669012795
Publication Date: January 2024
Available As: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook
Middle Grade, Age 08 or older

Community Represented: Mexican/Mexican American

Themes: Arts, Coming of Age, Cultural Empowerment, Cultural Empowerment & Joy: Family, Cultural Empowerment & Joy: Identity, Family Relationship: Grandparents, Family Relationship: Parents, Family Relationship: Siblings, Generational Differences, Generational Differences: Language, Identity: Exploration, Identity: Multilingual, Identity: Names & Pronunciations, Multilingual: Spanish Featured Words, Own Voices/Lived Experience

Setting: United States (El Paso TX)

Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: Unknown Arrival

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

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