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Reviewed by: Lisa Rice, Middle School Librarian Title: Pardalita
Author: Joana Estrela; translated by Lyn Miller Lachman
Publisher: Levine Querido
Year: 2023 Good for Grades: 7-12 Genre/Type of Book: YA romance, YA graphic novel, coming of age
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: Language, smoking, sexual references
Recommended for a school library: Yes Reason(s) for choosing the book: I wanted to try another graphic novel that didn't look too "busy." I wasn't sure about the title of this one- is Pardalita a name? A word? I liked the bold, black line drawings, and decided to give it a read!
If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be:
Raquel's words to Pardalita: "You're an irregular verb, one to learn by heart."
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Review:
This book captures teen life and teen romance in a calm, quiet way that feels spot on. Usually, a YA romance book is full of drama and tears and tension, and this one is just quiet, in a lovely way. It tells the story of sixteen-year-old Raquel, who lives in Portugal, her mom, a little bit about her dad (Raquel's parents are divorced and we learn about her dad through prose about Raquel seeing all the new things in her dad's apartment when he begins a new relationship), Miguel, her boyfriend, and her best friends, Luisa and Fred. There's also an old, adopted, cranky cat that claims the house as his own, and only loves Raquel's mom. And, of course, there's Pardalita. The author manages to capture teen life perfectly in this book, from discussions about movies, to hanging out with friends, dealing with an annoying mother, and getting suspended from school, I think teens will find something they can easily relate to. At one point, Raquel and her friend go see a fortune teller who tells Raquel that someone new has come into her life. Raquel assumes she means her new boyfriend, Miguel, but the fortune teller says no, the first letter of their name starts with a P. Soon after, Miguel breaks up with Raquel and Raquel muses that it is strange not to talk to that person anymore. Raquel recalls that in elementary school, she used to play a jump rope game where you recite the alphabet as you jump rope. If you miss a jump, the letter you are on is the first letter of your future husband's name. Raquel never missed a jump and wondered if that meant she'd never marry. Then she meets Pardalita while joining her friend auditioning for a play.
A teacher tells Raquel that you just have to memorize irregular verbs and know them by heart. Irregular verbs are sprinkled throughout the book: cut/cut/cut, sleep/slept/slept, wake/woke/woken. When Pardalita and Raquel finally go out on a coffee date, Raquel says that they can't stop talking about everything- future/present/and past perfect. Raquel says the same about Pardalita as her teacher did the verbs: "I don't comprehend you. You're an irregular verb, one to learn by heart." Raquel and Pardalita are sweet and realistic, and I think students will connect with them. While this book may not appeal to a reader who loves a lot of action and high stakes drama, this book just felt right to me. I also loved the simple, quiet ending of the book.
The book is almost of combination of a book of prose, drawings and a graphic novel. I loved the drawings with their thick black lines that made me want to color them. I liked that the book was easy to read and easy to follow. I loved the prose when Raquel takes us back to "Me at Age 6" and "Me at Age 3." This book also lends itself to a discussion on immigration, as that is also a theme. I recommend this book for a middle and high school library.
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