Grow Up, Luchy Zapata

Colombian American 11-year-old Luchy Zapata is thrilled to be starting middle school in Miami with her best friends Cami and Mateo. But since returning from her summer trip to Colombia, Cami has been acting distant and seems concerned with projecting a more mature image. With their once-easy friendship now marred by “awkwardness full of sharp edges,” Luchy—with the help of dependable Mateo—tries to win back her friend. She makes a scrapbook celebrating their shared history and even attempts to modify her style with makeup and “cool” clothes. She eventually joins Cami on the middle school soccer team, certain that doing so will give them more time together and thus fix everything (it might also make Luchy’s soccer-obsessed papi proud). But when Luchy’s cleats go missing on the day of tryouts—and she realizes that Cami is the only other person who knows her locker combination—Luchy vows vengeance. Told via thoughtful and confidently rendered narration, this sincere tale of diverging friendship by Alessandri (The Enchanted Life of Valentina Mejía) is augmented by organically layered subplots surrounding Luchy’s feelings of disconnect from her Colombian heritage and her steadfast friendship with Mateo. Ages 8–12. Agent: Deborah Warren, East West Literary (July)