- Age: Intermediate to middle school

- About a girl and her navigating life and her connecting with her culture. She starts 7th grade, makes friends, losses her grandma, and goes to Guatemala in the end.

- I did love this story because it was very diverse and it could connect with students and their lives.

Engaging, emotionally full and complex. She flirts with putting too much in the book- I’m wary of authors checking boxes: gay character? Check. Special needs? Check. Trope-y bully? Check. But Balcarcel keeps it natural and weaves these characters/characteristics seamlessly into the storyline so well, a treat. ( )

As Hena Khan, the author of Amina's voice, says, "Quijana's journey to understand how she fits between two cultures is authentic and relatable to readers of all backgrounds." Quijana is half-American and half-Guatemalan and is torn in half with many expectations and worries piled up on both sides. This is her journey to finding who she truly is and coming to such a powerful understanding that she loves who she is. Perfect for readers in the fourth grade all through middle school. ( )

Quijana is a 12 year old girl who is half white and half Latina. She never though of herself as split into two different cultures until her cousins from Guatemala came to live in her town. That is when her dad began to ask her to speak Spanish. She began her journey in getting to know more about her Guatemalan culture. At first this journey begins to make her feel like she does not belong on either side of her cultures because she does not look white but she doesn't speak Spanish or know how to make tortillas. She finds beauty in the culture she did not realize she was missing in her life while at the same time accepting that she is not a part of just one culture but two that are both equally beautiful. This book is really good to teach students about accepting cultures whether they are your own or other's cultures. ( )

Quijana is half Guatemalan but unlike her parents, does not speak Spanish. This is a source of discomfort for her as other kids assume she speaks Spanish but diss her when they realize she does not. She also is not comfortable when her father decorates the home with cultural relics and takes the family to visit his brother's family. When Qui's parents decide to take the family to Guatemala for winter break to visit abuela and the relatives, Qui plots to buy a bus ticket to Florida and stay with her white grandmother instead rather than be stuck not understanding what people are saying. I have never seen a book in children's literature explore this very topic and it is amazing because this was my story growing up, too! ( )