Confetti Girl, by Diana López

Apolonia Flores (or “Lina”) is a star volleyball player who believes her choice of socks can affect her day. A year ago, Lina unexpectedly lost her mother from a blood infection. Her best friend, Vanessa Cantu, is dealing with the divorce of her parents. Both girls have just entered middle school in the prominently Latino community of Corpus Christi, Texas. As the girls each deal with the absence of a parent, they realize that their remaining parents’ lives have also been fractured. Lina’s dad, an English teacher, absorbs himself in his huge collection books. Ms. Cantu obsesses over making endless numbers of cascarones, hollowed out eggs filled with confetti, even when Easter has long past. Lina and Vanessa try to survive the usual middle school craziness while also helping mend their families.

I especially loved the Spanish phrases and influence within López’s novel. Mr. Flores conveys fatherly wisdom through dichos (Spanish proverbs), like Lo mismo el chile que aguja, a todos pican igual (“both the chile and the needle sting”) On El Día de los Muertos, Lina and her father visit Mrs. Flores’ grave. Corpus Christi and the Latino community essentially become characters themselves.

It is immediately evident that Lina is in the transition from child to adult – she openly admits that her sock collection is a bit immature, but makes no attempt to get rid of it- making Confetti Girl an excellent pick for tween girls who are likewise experiencing that “in between” feeling.

López, D. (2009). Confetti Girl. New York: Little, Brown & Company. ISBN 978-0-316-02955-1