Confetti Girl by Diana Lopez

Things have been slightly off in the life of sock enthusiast Lina Flores since the death of her mother a couple of years before. Mostly, her father isn't coping well, he spends most of his time taking refuge in books - he's an English teacher - and in the process ignores everything and everyone around him, sometimes even Lina.

Across the street, her friend Vanessa isn't faring much better, with her mother still struggling to come to terms with her divorce and taking comfort in making cascarones - eggshells filled with confetti -Vanessa has a lot on her plate as well.

But the two girls find comfort and support in one an other, as they navigate the times and trials of middle school, where Lina can throw her energy into science, volleyball and her crush on Luis, a boy in her class. Then Vanessa starts blowing Lina off to spend time with her new boyfriend, and things go from bad to worse.

Confetti Girl is a sweet book, Lina (who's the narrator) and Vanessa do sound like normal, everyday girls and I liked them both, and I liked their parents more or less. And I did enjoy the book, but I also had a few problems with it. I'm Mexican - born and raised - and I felt there was a little bit too much Spanish in the book, and I also felt that many of the dichos or sayings that Lina is fond of quoting (and that are showcased as chapter titles') - because they remind her of her mother - don't translate well into English, so it makes reading awkward, mostly because I knew what they meant truly and it was a bit distracting.

Other than that, it was a nice story.

1/3