Becoming Beatriz
Author
Publisher
Charlesbridge
Publication Date
Varies, see individual formats and editions
Language
English
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Description
"A compelling read about the quest for fame!" —Debbie Allen, star of Fame "Redemption is a heartbeat away." —Guadalupe Garcia McCall, author of the Pura Belpre Award winner Under the Mesquite Beatriz dreams of a life spent dancing--until tragedy on the day of her quinceañera changes everything. Up until her fifteenth birthday, the most important thing in the world to Beatriz Mendez was her dream of becoming a professional dancer and getting herself and her family far from the gang life that defined their days--that and meeting her dance idol Debbie Allen on the set of her favorite TV show, Fame. But after the latest battle in a constant turf war leaves her brother, Junito, dead and her mother grieving, Beatriz has a new set of priorities. How is she supposed to feel the rhythm when her brother's gang needs running, when her mami can't brush her own teeth, and when the last thing she can remember of her old self is dancing with her brother, followed by running and gunshots? When the class brainiac reminds Beatriz of her love of the dance floor, her banished dreams sneak back in. Now the only question is: will the gang let her go? Set in New Jersey in 1984, Beatriz's story is a timeless one of a teenager's navigation of romance, her brother's choices, and her own family's difficult past. A companion novel to the much-lauded Like Vanessa.
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Subjects
Subjects
Dance -- Juvenile fiction
Ethnic relations -- Juvenile fiction
Female gang members -- Juvenile fiction
Haitian Americans -- Juvenile fiction
Hispanic American gangs -- New Jersey -- Newark -- Juvenile fiction
Hispanic American teenagers -- Juvenile fiction
Newark (N.J.) -- History -- 20th century -- Juvenile fiction
Nineteen eighties -- Juvenile fiction
Puerto Ricans -- New Jersey -- Newark -- Juvenile fiction
Teenagers -- Juvenile fiction
Young Adult Fiction
Young Adult Literature
Ethnic relations -- Juvenile fiction
Female gang members -- Juvenile fiction
Haitian Americans -- Juvenile fiction
Hispanic American gangs -- New Jersey -- Newark -- Juvenile fiction
Hispanic American teenagers -- Juvenile fiction
Newark (N.J.) -- History -- 20th century -- Juvenile fiction
Nineteen eighties -- Juvenile fiction
Puerto Ricans -- New Jersey -- Newark -- Juvenile fiction
Teenagers -- Juvenile fiction
Young Adult Fiction
Young Adult Literature
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