  | Full Text Reviews: Bulletin for the Center... - 09/01/2013 Eighth grade was supposed to be about ruling middle school and drawing the attention of all the right boys, but Chia finds a different priority when her mother is diagnosed with breast cancer. After the family travels from their San Antonio home to the shrine of La Virgen de San Juan del Valle to pray and to make promesas, pledges in the name of their prayers, Chia vows that she will get 500 people to sponsor her in the 5k Race for the Cure. In the meantime, her family is struggling under the strain, and Chia’s fed up with her brainy younger sister, Carmen, who’s sailing through sixth grade while Chia struggles with her own work. The family story is the strongest thread here, with Chia’s father overfocused on trying to pad the world for his wife as his daughters flail under the strain and his toddler son grows needier; an additional subplot about the support Chia receives from an old pal who might like to be more is also well done. Characterization, though, is generally weak and shallow, with Chia’s friends largely flat and her sister more of a device to convey information about cancer and its treatment than a real person (especially since her anxiety-ridden compulsions are never dealt with in the book). Additionally, the book provides little perspective on Chia’s sponsorship efforts or indeed her mother’s future. The book therefore isn’t a deep exploration of anything, but Chia’s a relatable character, and her story offers use as an accessible treatment of an intimidating subject. DS - Copyright 2013 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. School Library Journal - 11/01/2013 Gr 6–8—Can a mood ring determine what you are really feeling? Erica Montenegro not only believes it can, but she also relies on it to help express her emotions. She thinks about boys, fights with her little sister, and hangs out with her friends. All that changes, however, when her mother comes home with nine bikinis, one for each day before her mastectomy. Suddenly, Chia's whole world is thrown off-kilter. As she tries to cope and understand her mother's situation, the family takes a trip to a special church to offer a promesa, a promise to God, in exchange for her mother's health. What promise is big enough to save her mother's life? And what if she can't fulfill it while she tries to juggle school and the extra demands of her family? Chia's voice shines with the insecurities and struggles of middle-school students. López takes a family with a Hispanic heritage and makes them accessible by keeping them steeped in authenticity. The characters' beliefs drive the story, but are never overwhelming. Family and friends are also diverse and genuine, even the frustrating ones. The relationships are easily believed, and the cancer scare is plausible and relatable to many students today. A fast-moving, absorbing read about how one person's illness can affect the whole family in many different ways.—Mariela Siegert, Westfield Middle School, Bloomingdale, IL - Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
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