Furia

Méndez (Where Are You From?) infuses her YA debut with sparkling vitality straight from the pitch in this powerful coming-of-age story set in Rosario, Argentina. Camila Hassan, 17, knows that “lies have short legs,” but her budding career as a soccer player—and romance with childhood friend Diego—would not exist without them. Under pressure from parental expectations and an abusive father, Camila takes pains at home to conceal her after-school activities and passion for fútbol. On the field, however, she lets loose and tears it up as Furia—fierce futbolera and captain of Eva María Fútbol Club. When her team qualifies for a major tournament that requires a parental signature to participate, Camila must find the strength to reveal the truth and continue pursuing her goals in a community rife with machismo and rigid ideas about gender and ambition. Weaving rich cultural specifics and electric energy into her prose, Méndez crafts a dynamic, feminist narrative that commands attention from the very first line. At its core, this novel is a full-hearted love letter to Argentina and “incorrigible girls” everywhere, emboldening readers to stand up for themselves and chase the dreams they hold dear. Ages 14–up. [em]Agent: Linda Camacho, Gallt & Zacker Literary. (Sept.) [/em]