Estrella's Quinceañera [Hardcover]

Malin Alegria (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 21, 2006

Estrella Alvarez is turning fifteen, and she's not happy about it. For as long as she can remember, her mother has been planning an elaborate quinceañera, complete with a mariachi band, cheesy decorations, and a hideous dress. Estrella is so over it. She'd much rather have an understated dinner party at a posh restaurant downtown -- that way, she can invite her two best friends from private school, who have no idea Estrella lives in the barrio. Even though Estrella tries to keep her home life a secret from her school friends, things get even more complicated when she falls for Speedy, a cholo whom her new friends -- and her parents -- would definitely disapprove of.

Caught between her family's wishes and the allure of her sophisticated friends, Estrella is forced to make some tough choices. This funny, touching book follows one girl's struggle to figure out who she really wants to be.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-10-Estrella Alvarez is finally getting her life together. She has earned a scholarship to an elite private school in San Jose and made friends with some of the wealthy girls. Now, however, she is ashamed of her mother and her home, and has dropped her former best friends. To make things worse, her mother and Tía Lucky are insisting on going through with her quinceañera, complete with mariachi band and puffy-sleeved orange dress. She has fallen for Speedy, a classmate from the barrio, but is forbidden to see him. As the plans for the party progress, Estrella's world implodes as she alienates her family and friends with half-truths and deceptions. It is left to her to cobble together a quinceañera, be proud of her heritage, and still be true to herself. The plot is fast paced, with engaging and likable characters. The protagonist's search for identity and fight for independence from her loving but strict family are wrought with humor, yet remain poignant and true. The tone of the book is light, but the teen's journey through the maze of culture and class is deftly handled.-Melissa Christy Buron, Epps Island Elementary, Houston, TX
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 7-10. Estrella is mortified when plans begin for her fifteenth-birthday celebration. She envisions a large, tacky celebration and a gaudy, fufu rufu gown. Even worse, her damas (female escorts) are bitter childhood friends who accuse Estrella of abandoning them since she won a scholarship to a private school in the ritziest neighborhood in San Jose. Then Estrella falls for Speedy, a former grade-school classmate who is also Mexican American, and she feels increasingly conflicted as she moves between her wealthy school friends and the "one big crazy family" of her barrio. The ending ties things up a bit too neatly, but in her first novel, Alegria writes about Mexican American culture, first love, family, and of moving between worlds with poignant, sharp-sighted humor and authentic dialogue. Teens of all backgrounds will see themselves in Estrella's struggle to discover herself and to stand firm against outside expectations. A laugh-out-loud Spanglish glossary concludes. Also suggest Nancy Osa's Cuba 15 (2003). Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers (March 21, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689878095
• ISBN-13: 978-0689878091
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #298,391 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It is not just a party., July 15, 2009

By 

L. J. Baker "Donura" (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Estrella's Quinceañera (Paperback)

This is a very quick read and should engage girls who live in an urban and Latino setting. Many of the girls in our school will love this story of Estrella and her upcoming Quinceanera. The story takes place in the San Francisco Bay Area where Estrella has just entered a prestigious private school. She is thrilled that she has been accepted and now has a new group of friends. However, with her upcoming party she feels she is being pulled between a group of old friends and her new friends who may not understand the importance of the party from a heritage standpoint and consider it old fashioned. I think it will be very easy for all middle school girls and they will to be able to identify with Estrella and all her "friend" problems. There is a glossary at the end of the book to help those who don't know all the Spanish references. This was a great book to read and share with young girls.

My 6th grader read this book faster than any mystery (her previous favorite genre). I was thrilled to see her engaged with girl issues. She was extremely anxious to discuss the book and share her opinions about Estrella's emotional "rollercoaster" ride on the way to her Quinceanera. There are wonderful lessons on culture and ethnic identity to be learned, all with peer pressure. The humor keeps all the topics light, not heavy like a lecture. This will be a very popular addition to our library with our large Latino population.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reviews by Livin' la vida Latina, October 30, 2010

By 

Livin' la vida Latina (U.S.A) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Estrella's Quinceañera (Paperback)

Reviewed by Sandra Lopez, Author of "Esperanza" and "Beyond the Gardens"
Member of Livin' la vida Latina
[...]

Review: What do most of us do when the topic of quinceañeras come up? We sigh, we roll our eyes, we cringe so hard that we shrivel up inside like a burnt out match. The feeling's mutual in just about everyone. That was exactly how Estrella Alvarez felt in this story.

Even though I have never had a quince myself (thank god,) this story gave me warm nostalgia as I recalled my own years of growing up in a barrio. I remembered the "cholo losers" and the busy-body neighbors; the buttinski mother and the crazy relatives, everthing. You can't help but empathize with Estrella when it comes to how her family views her as the last gleaming hope for a good education, or how she feels like an alien in the world of her rich, prep-school friends. Don't we all feel that way at some point?

I loved Estrella's surly and sarcastic tone as she described every grueling (and often, embarrassing) detail of the party planning. I also liked how Speedy wasn't your typical "cholo" but actually a nice guy (so few of them left in the barrio.) I did think Estrella needed to relax and slow down on growing up. She should've enjoyed hanging out with Speedy as a friend/person instead of concentrating so hard on getting her first kiss from him.

One unique thing about this book was that each chapter had a definition of barrio slang that you couldn't help but smile at. This was a relatable story of finding one's self while coming of age in a dark, scary world. Great job, Malin!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Estrella Rocks, May 14, 2009

By 

La Reader (NM) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Estrella's Quinceañera (Hardcover)

My 4th grade students loved this book. They were also lucky to have met Malin Alegria the author and loved listening to her read from Estrella's Quinceanera. It is a funny and enjoyable book for children as they can relate to the main character. A must read book!