Warrior Girl

Using rhythmic first-person verse, Tafolla (I’ll Always Come Back to You) presents messages about the importance of family and friends, social justice, and using one’s voice to incite change. Celina Teresa Guerrera Amaya, 12, is used to frequently moving house, especially because of her Mexican immigrant father’s odd jobs. When her father is deported, she and her mother move to San Antonio to live with Celi’s Gramma. Starting at yet another new school is tough, but Gramma teaches Celi about the history of her ancestors and encourages her to draw strength from their stories. The two develop a strong connection that buoys Celi during difficult times (“Talking with Gramma can be/ a splash of sunshine/ in a dark, cold cave”), and Gramma’s steadfastness, as well as new friendships at school, help Celi navigate the onset of Covid, the Black Lives Matter movement, and fraught familial dynamics. Via the protagonist’s journey to articulate her complex feelings through succinct and polished phrases, Tafolla crafts an astute and evolving heroine. The lyrical verse—structured as Celi’s own poetry, which teachers and Gramma embolden her to pursue—eventually culminates in powerful vocalizations of Celi’s values. Ages 10–up. (Sept.)