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Reviewed by: Ashley Poulin, Elementary School Librarian Title: Shine On, Luz Véliz!
Author: Rebecca Balcarcel Series: Real Friends (#3) Publisher: Chronicle
Year: 2022 Good for Grades: 4-7 Genre/Type of Book: Realistic Fiction/Chapter Book
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: Discussion of gang violence in Guatemala
Recommended for a school library: Yes Reason(s) for choosing the book: It had positive reviews, features an ELL learner, and girls who are interested in STEAM.
If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be: It's time for Luz Véliz to figure out who she really wants to be.
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Review:
Shine On, Luz Véliz! is about Luz, an 11 year old star soccer player who got seriously injured. Her knee injury was serious enough that she may never be able to play again, and needs to choose between sitting on the sidelines during soccer or joining a new extracurricular activity. As if the injury weren’t enough, Luz also needs to contend with her unknown (to everyone!) half sister from Guatemala moving to the United States to live with them. Luz’s father never knew he had another father, but when her mother in Guatemala passed away, she reached out to him to see if Luz could move in with them.
The primary theme of this book is identity. Luz’s identity is changing in many ways. Is she still a soccer player or an only child? Should she learn Spanish to better communicate with her half sister and new roommate, or should Solana learn English? Do her parents have enough love for two daughters, and can they love her when she’s not a soccer star? Is she Guatemalan enough, or not enough at all?
I really enjoyed this book. The reviews described it as a coming of age story, something that is seen more in YA, and I think that’s an accurate description. The full reason behind Solana’s sudden move to the USA isn't revealed until the end of the book and is more frightening than one would suggest, so I would recommend it to older elementary school and middle school students. Unfortunately, there’s a bit of disconnect between the cover design and the text, because the book looks younger than it reads, and I think that might make it feel too immature to the target audience.
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Find resources for Shine On, Luz Véliz! at Teachingbooks.net
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