{"product_id":"warrior-girl-isbn-9780593354735","title":"Warrior Girl","description":"\u003cb\u003eAn insightful novel in verse about the joys and struggles of a girl who’s a warrior for her name, her history, and her right to choose what she celebrates in life\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCelina and her family follow both Mexican and United States traditions, and she revels in her Mexican American heritage. But at school it feels like the world wants to erase that part of her identity, as her name is repeatedly mispronounced, her people’s stories are left out of textbooks and lessons, and some classmates choose to treat her as a second-class citizen. Fortunately, she makes three wonderful friends who help her fight the ignorance. And her gramma, Celina’s biggest inspiration, shows her how to build a shield of joy around herself that can’t be pierced by defeat. Some days, though, it’s hard to find the joy—like when her dad’s deported or when a pandemic hits. Then Celina turns to her writing, which turns out to give a lot of people joy. And she determines that no matter what, she’ll always live up to her last name: Guerrera—woman warrior; and use her talents and courage to make the world a more beautiful place where all cultures are celebrated.\u003cb\u003e*\u003c\/b\u003e “Using rhythmic first-person verse, Tafolla presents messages about the importance of family and friends, social justice, and using one’s voice to incite change. . . . Via the protagonist’s journey to articulate her complex feelings through succinct and polished phrases, Tafolla crafts an astute and evolving heroine. The lyrical verse—structured as Celi’s own poetry, which teachers and Gramma embolden her to pursue—eventually culminates in powerful vocalizations of Celi’s values.” —\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003cb\u003estarred review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Tafolla skillfully weaves . . . significant recent historic moments and the hopeful stories of leaders like Emma Tenayuca and César Chávez together with the more specific experiences of the four friends. . . . Protagonist Celi, an emerging poet, is consistently and vividly rendered . . . and her righteous, powerful, and joyful voice carries the day. An exuberant, rousing celebration of youth activism.” —\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“On top of her worries about her father who has been deported, Celina must face a challenging pandemic, fear of her grandmother catching the virus, and finding joy despite it all. But she is a Guerrera, a woman warrior; she has a voice and writing talent, and she can still use that to show the world the beauty of all cultures. Written in verse, this is a timely novel that tackles various struggles teens face, including desire to belong, family conflict, and fighting for what you believe in. Tafolla skillfully writes Celina’s voice as a young girl, and allows it to mature as she does. . . . An insightful, timely, and discussion-worthy read. This beautifully written contemporary novel is a highly recommended purchase.”—\u003ci\u003eSchool Library Journal\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“With the help of her friends, Celina gains the courage to be the warrior she was meant to be by making a difference with her writing. Readers who enjoy novels in verse will be moved by Tafolla’s touching story. This is an emotional novel about the journey of finding where you belong, making your voice heard, and the friendships you can forge along the way.” —\u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eDr. Carmen Tafolla (CarmenTafolla.net) received a Tomás Rivera Book Award for \u003ci\u003eWarrior Girl\u003c\/i\u003e. She is the 2015 State Poet Laureate of Texas and the former president of the Texas Institute of Letters. An award-winning poet and children’s author, storyteller, performance artist, motivational speaker, scholar, and university professor, she is the author of more than forty books and a professor emeritus of Transformative Children’s Literature at UT San Antonio. Her numerous awards and distinctions include the prestigious Américas Award, the designation of first city Poet Laureate of San Antonio, six International Latino Book Awards, three Tomás Rivera Book Awards, two ALA Notable Books, the Art of Peace Award, the Charlotte Zolotow Award, and the Texas Institute of Letters Lifetime Achievement Award. She lives in San Antonio, Texas.\u003cb\u003eLife Slapped Her Hard Hand\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Felt like Life had slapped her hard hand\u003cbr\u003e over my mouth\u003cbr\u003e and tried to shut me up,\u003cbr\u003e tried to keep me\u003cbr\u003e from being me,\u003cbr\u003e keep me from even my song, \u003cbr\u003e even my name.\u003cbr\u003e Yes, she tried to shut me up,\u003cbr\u003e and for a little while,\u003cbr\u003e she did.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eHow I Got My Name\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSo when I was born, my mom said\u003ci\u003e, Ay, qué preciosa.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eI want to name her Celina.\u003c\/i\u003e But my dad said,\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eI want to name her after your mom, Teresa.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e And Mom nodded (kind of) and said,\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eWe’ll name her Celina Teresa,\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eand we can call her Tere around the house\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eso Gramma can know how much we love her.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e And they did.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd everything was good with my name except for one thing:\u003cbr\u003e My dad’s last name is Guerrero\u003cbr\u003e and my mom’s is Amaya,\u003cbr\u003e and the nurse got confused when she saw\u003cbr\u003e “all those names”\u003cbr\u003e (Celina Teresa Guerrero Amaya.\u003cbr\u003e I don’t think four is too many names,\u003cbr\u003e but I guess the nurse did),\u003cbr\u003e so she wrote down Guerrera\u003cbr\u003e with an \u003ci\u003eA\u003c\/i\u003e at the end of the name instead of an \u003ci\u003eO\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e And dropped the Amaya completely.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo one noticed right away ’cause they were\u003cbr\u003e too busy oohing and aahing over me.\u003cbr\u003e Then the birth certificate came in the mail,\u003cbr\u003e and they noticed it and Dad just laughed.\u003cbr\u003e He said, \u003ci\u003eWell . . . \u003c\/i\u003eGuerrera\u003ci\u003e means a “WOMAN warrior.”\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eI bet she’ll be brave and strong and fight for justicia\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e And then he said, \u003ci\u003eWe could get it fixed later . . .\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eMaybe.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e And Mom repeated,\u003ci\u003e Maybe . . .\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThen, the very next month,\u003cbr\u003e they deported my dad back to Mexico\u003cbr\u003e for not having the right papers.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFunny how papers can be so right and so wrong\u003cbr\u003e and can even mean more than people\u003cbr\u003e in some folks’ eyes.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eWhat Matters\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLuckily, my dad returned to us pretty soon\u003cbr\u003e because there’s no way he was gonna leave\u003cbr\u003e my mom alone to raise their beautiful baby girl (me).\u003cbr\u003e Mama said to get back, Dad had to work to raise money\u003cbr\u003e and borrow some from his cousin too.\u003cbr\u003e He had to swim across a river at night\u003cbr\u003e and then cross a desert with no water\u003cbr\u003e and then walk through a field of snakes,\u003cbr\u003e but he came back.\u003cbr\u003e And he kept working here to pay for the rent\u003cbr\u003e and for the food and the diapers.\u003cbr\u003e He kept trying to get his papers,\u003cbr\u003e but something else always had to be paid first,\u003cbr\u003e like taking me to get my shots\u003cbr\u003e or getting the motor fixed on the car\u003cbr\u003e or learning enough English to do his taxes\u003cbr\u003e or working to help Mama pay for her nurse’s aide schooling.\u003cbr\u003e But nothing was going to stop him\u003cbr\u003e from being there for me\u003cbr\u003e and being the best dad,\u003cbr\u003e and that’s what really\u003cbr\u003e matters.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eGramma Said I Was Wonderful\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Life is so much fun,\u003cbr\u003e so rica with adventure and dreams\u003cbr\u003e when you’re little and at home\u003cbr\u003e with people who love you and look at you with eyes full of\u003cbr\u003e hope.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThat’s what my grandma did.\u003cbr\u003e She looked at me\u003cbr\u003e (even when I was bad and snuck an extra pan de polvo\u003cbr\u003e off the plate before the party)\u003cbr\u003e and laughed and said,\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e¡Qué sinvergüenza esta muchacha!\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Even though her words said I was rascally,\u003cbr\u003e that’s not what her eyes said.\u003cbr\u003e I saw her eyes.\u003cbr\u003e They said I was\u003cbr\u003e Wonderful.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eCouldn’t Wait\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI couldn’t wait for the first day of first grade.\u003cbr\u003e I was big. I was cool.\u003cbr\u003e I was ready to go\u003cbr\u003e and show la teacher that I was\u003cbr\u003e smart and pretty and wonderful . . .\u003cbr\u003e I even put TWO bows in my hair\u003cbr\u003e so that I’d look “bien purty.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI thought first grade was going to be\u003cbr\u003e better than Christmas!\u003cbr\u003e But instead of getting things,\u003cbr\u003e we’d be learning things.\u003cbr\u003e And I especially wanted to show the teacher\u003cbr\u003e that I already knew how to write my name\u003cbr\u003e in BIG letters, like a BIG girl:\u003cbr\u003e TERE.\u003cbr\u003e Tere, the name of my grandmother.\u003cbr\u003e And my grandmother’s grandmother.\u003cbr\u003e And my grandmother’s grandmother’s\u003cbr\u003e grandmother.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI remember that day so clearly,\u003cbr\u003e remember bursting with excitement.\u003cbr\u003e But sometimes things\u003cbr\u003e don’t turn out the way you\u003cbr\u003e hope.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFirst-Grade Tere Tells Her Story\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMy teacher was so pretty.\u003cbr\u003e A big, tall lady with blond hair.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut our first conversation went like this:\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHi. I’m Miss Jones.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHi. I Tere.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAwww . . . Terry.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo, iss Tere.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo, it’s pronounced Terry.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIss . . . per-nounce . . . Tere.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo. Watch my mouth. Teh. Reee. See?\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo, iss Teh-reh. Iss always been Tere.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLook. Make your mouth like this and pronounce it right.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eTeh. REEEE! That’s what your name is here,\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eand you will learn to say it right.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePero RIGHT iss Tere, miss.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe lookin’ at me so mean. And her eyebrows,\u003cbr\u003e they like two standing-up lines of mad,\u003cbr\u003e so I say, \u003ci\u003eOkay,\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e because\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eno importa,\u003cbr\u003e it doesn’t matter.\u003cbr\u003e I in first grade, I smart, and I want teacher lady\u003cbr\u003e to like me.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eErased\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen I color the Cinderella princess,\u003cbr\u003e I make her look like my big cousin,\u003cbr\u003e with long black hair down to there\u003cbr\u003e and blue glitter above her eyes.\u003cbr\u003e But teacher says, \u003ci\u003eCinderella has blond hair\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e She takes away my picture,\u003cbr\u003e says, \u003ci\u003eDo it over. Do it right.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e And I think, \u003ci\u003eNo importa\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ’cause maybe she doesn’t understand.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThen we go to the cafeteria, and the food looks weird.\u003cbr\u003e I’m hungry after lunch, but \u003ci\u003eno importa,\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e doesn’t matter.\u003cbr\u003e In gym I get my own coach (like in the Olympics).\u003cbr\u003e He lets the boys go first to show us how to run the races\u003cbr\u003e (even though I run faster than Juanito and Chale).\u003cbr\u003e When I yell, \u003ci\u003e¡Córrele, Juanito!\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Coach comes over to scold me,\u003cbr\u003e says, \u003ci\u003eThis is the U.S. Speak English!\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e So I say, \u003ci\u003eRun, Johnny. Run!\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Coach still looks at me funny.\u003cbr\u003e But I think, \u003ci\u003eNo importa\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ’cause gym is over.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWe go back to the class and teacher says\u003cbr\u003e she’s gonna teach us how to write our names.\u003cbr\u003e I show her my paper full of big proud letters that say\u003cbr\u003e TERE.\u003cbr\u003e She erases my name!\u003cbr\u003e Says I got too many capitals\u003cbr\u003e and not enough \u003ci\u003eR\u003c\/i\u003e’s.\u003cbr\u003e Tells me, \u003ci\u003eDo it over. Do it RIGHT!\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e But my paper looks so empty\u003cbr\u003e and I feel like I just disappeared,\u003cbr\u003e got erased, turned invisible.\u003cbr\u003e And it hurts.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSo I’m glad we have a game at the end of the day\u003cbr\u003e so I can show la teacher how smart I am.\u003cbr\u003e Teacher explains the game: \u003ci\u003eWhen I touch your head,\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003ejump up and say your name.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI jump up, say, \u003ci\u003eTERE,\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e and she mumbles something ’bout\u003cbr\u003e putting me in the slow class.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI don’t WANT to be in the slow class,\u003cbr\u003e to move slow and run slow and act slow.\u003cbr\u003e But I don’t say anything.\u003cbr\u003e I go home and take off my two bows.\u003cbr\u003e I have first grade again tomorrow, but . . .\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo importa.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e It doesn’t matter.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eMoving\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWe had to move.\u003cbr\u003e I don’t remember why.\u003cbr\u003e My dad got a new job\u003cbr\u003e or the old job finished\u003cbr\u003e or didn’t pay enough to stay.\u003cbr\u003e The new town wasn’t any bigger than the old one,\u003cbr\u003e but the people were meaner to us\u003cbr\u003e and I felt a lot more lost,\u003cbr\u003e especially in school.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe teacher there must’ve taken lessons\u003cbr\u003e from the teacher in the old place,\u003cbr\u003e because she, too, changed my name to Terry.\u003cbr\u003e Guess none of them liked\u003cbr\u003e names that sounded like Spanish.\u003cbr\u003e So they took away my name.\u003cbr\u003e I wonder what is left\u003cbr\u003e that they CAN’T\u003cbr\u003e take away.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eCelebrating a Chubasco\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWe didn’t live with Gramma back then,\u003cbr\u003e but she’d always come to visit\u003cbr\u003e and tell us stories to remind us who we were.\u003cbr\u003e The house would fill with laughter,\u003cbr\u003e and nothing—nothing ever—\u003cbr\u003e could keep us from celebrating everything.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOne day when she arrived,\u003cbr\u003e the summer sky changed in a flash.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChubasco!\u003cbr\u003e When your sweltering hot boring day\u003cbr\u003e turns dark as night and the wind\u003cbr\u003e begins to blow like magic\u003cbr\u003e and heavy clouds roll in to throw a big surprise party\u003cbr\u003e as they throw down a confetti of icy hail.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChubasco!\u003cbr\u003e When thunder booms so big Gramma says it sounds\u003cbr\u003e like a huge fiesta with someone banging hard on the drums.\u003cbr\u003e But you and Dad watch it while sitting safely on the porch\u003cbr\u003e and laugh and pretend to play drums\u003cbr\u003e right along with the sound that beats down\u003cbr\u003e from that cool wild drummer in the sky.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eMy Gramma Tere Taught Me\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOne of the things my gramma Tere taught me\u003cbr\u003e was how to make a fiesta out of every day.\u003cbr\u003e Every day she would whisper,\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eToday is a celebration! It’s the feast of San Fulano de Tal!\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e And she would tell me the name of\u003cbr\u003e the saint for that day\u003cbr\u003e or the celebration for that day\u003cbr\u003e or the reason we should be happy that day.\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEl Día del Mariachi!\u003c\/i\u003e So we’d listen to mariachi music.\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eEl Día del Chef!\u003c\/i\u003e So we’d cook something special and exotic.\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eEl Día de la Risa!\u003c\/i\u003e So we’d spend the day joking and laughing.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNow I know why \u003ci\u003eTere\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e is just as strong a warrior name as\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eGuerrera.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBecause when you’re celebrating,\u003cbr\u003e when you find a reason to be happy,\u003cbr\u003e a reason to sing or dance or paint or play or laugh or write,\u003cbr\u003e they haven’t taken everything\u003cbr\u003e away from you.","brand":"Nancy Paulsen Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46302416306405,"sku":"NP9780593354735","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780593354735.jpg?v=1767743615","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/warrior-girl-isbn-9780593354735","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}