Warrior Girl by Carmen Tafolla

 

During winter break, I also read Warrior Girl by Carmen Tafolla. This realistic fiction novel in verse is about Celina Guerrera, a girl who celebrates both Mexican and American traditions and is proud of her Mexican American identity. When she started first grade, it always felt like her teachers were trying to erase the Mexican part of her identity. Eventually, she moved, but the hurt lingered and even her fourth teacher ignored her thoughts about the history of the Alamo. Thankfully, she always had the support of her gramma, who taught her to use joy as a shield. When she moves once again before starting middle school, her dad is suddenly deported again like he was shortly after she was born. Although she is feeling down, she makes three new friends, who help her fight the ignorance at her new school, and begins writing poetry. She and her friends even decide to plan a school program that celebrates all cultures for April. Then, the pandemic hits in March, closing their school and imposing the practice of social distancing, and Celina wonders when her dad will return and if he is even okay.

This novel in verse was absolutely wonderful. It was clear from the beginning that Celina had a challenging life from the time she was born, but I loved her relationship with her gramma and how Celina took her gramma's advice to have a positive outlook on life, despite the hardships, like moving multiple times and not being respected at school. Everyone has their breaking point, though, and I could totally understand when she was worried about her dad after he was deported and wondering when he would be back. I could also relate to her feelings during the beginning of the pandemic when the last third of the book took place. It was definitely a stressful time and Celina didn't know what was going on with her dad, along with the fear of her gramma becoming sick with COVID. I also enjoyed Celina's friendship with Liz, Cata, and Chato. They each brought something different to their group and I liked how they worked together to plan a culture celebration for their school. Towards the end, something sad does happen and there is a moment that is quite intense, but all in all, the ending is happy. I really appreciated the message that knowledge and courage are your shield and your power. Warrior Girl shows how strength can come from our differences and anyone should read it.