The fresh new face of Griselda

Book Cover
Average Rating
Publisher
Little, Brown and Company
Publication Date
2019.
Language
English

Description

After one girl's parents lose their home, it would seem easy for her to lose hope, too—but in this inspiring story of family and friendship, just the opposite happens.   Griselda "Geez" Zaragoza has a love for beautiful things, like her collection of vintage teacups and the flower garden she and her dad planted in the front yard. But when his business goes bankrupt, Geez loses not just her house, but also her confidence and her trust in her unflappable parents. Tagging along with her big sister Maribel, who postponed college for a job selling Alma Cosmetics, Geez dreams up a way to reclaim the life she thinks she lost. If she can sell enough tubes of glistening, glittery Alma lip gloss, she'll win a cash prize that could help jump start her dad's business. In this moving coming-of-age novel, Geez will learn that a home isn't just lost or found, but made and re-made.

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ISBN
9780316452601

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Published Reviews

Booklist Review

After her father's landscaping business fails, Geez finds it hard to accept the changes that come: her family loses their home and moves in with her grandmother, and she's even ashamed to tell her best friend that she's in the school's free lunch program. Twelve-year-old Geez admires her older sister, Maribel, a persuasive door-to-door cosmetics salesperson earning money for college. When Geez sells lip gloss in her middle-school cafeteria, it lands her in the principal's office. But when she secretly enters The Fresh New Face of Alma Cosmetics contest, it leads to a trip with her sister and a shift in her perspective. Torres, who also wrote Stef Soto, Taco Queen (2017) and Flor and Miranda Steal the Show (2018), offers a realistic portrayal of a girl who is blindsided by losing her home but, bolstered by strong family ties, friendships, and personal resilience, ultimately begins to move forward again. When the occasional Spanish word, such as ándale or corazón, appears in dialogue, the speaker's meaning is generally clear. A warm family story within a convincing first-person narrative.--Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2010 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
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Kirkus Book Review

Can winning a cosmetics contest help make the difference for the struggling Zaragoza family?Griselda "Geez" Zaragoza (it's short for G.Z.) is entering sixth grade when her life changes drastically. First, her father's landscaping company goes out of business, then her parents lose their family home, which leads to a move for Geez, big sister Maribel, and Mom to Nana's with her dad living six hours away to find new work in Los Angeles. Geez faces her family's new economic reality with an authentic mix of concern, shame, and, ultimately, resourcefulness. Without a new first-day-of-school outfit, she adds ribbon to her plain, "in our price range" sneakers and cuffs her faded jeans so "it almost looks as if that's the way they're supposed to fit." When she learns about an Alma Cosmetics contest from Maribel, she's determined to sell 500 tubes of lip gloss for a chance to win $5,000, because "it might be enough for that fresh start we've all been trying to find." Torres realistically portrays a Latinx family with true-to-life dynamics, tensions, and worries in an extended clan in which Spanish phrases are spoken naturally. Fans of Kelly Yang's Front Desk (2018) will enjoy Geez' entrepreneurial spirit and appreciate another strong-minded young woman of color seeking ways to relieve her family's financial burden.An enjoyable story about the ingenuity and bonds that help a family withstand tough times. (Fiction. 8-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
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Booklist Reviews

After her father's landscaping business fails, Geez finds it hard to accept the changes that come: her family loses their home and moves in with her grandmother, and she's even ashamed to tell her best friend that she's in the school's free lunch program. Twelve-year-old Geez admires her older sister, Maribel, a persuasive door-to-door cosmetics salesperson earning money for college. When Geez sells lip gloss in her middle-school cafeteria, it lands her in the principal's office. But when she secretly enters "The Fresh New Face of Alma Cosmetics" contest, it leads to a trip with her sister and a shift in her perspective. Torres, who also wrote Stef Soto, Taco Queen (2017) and Flor and Miranda Steal the Show (2018), offers a realistic portrayal of a girl who is blindsided by losing her home but, bolstered by strong family ties, friendships, and personal resilience, ultimately begins to move forward again. When the occasional Spanish word, such as ándale or corazón, appears in dialogue, the speaker's meaning is generally clear. A warm family story within a convincing first-person narrative. Grades 4-6. Copyright 2019 Booklist Reviews.

Copyright 2019 Booklist Reviews.
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