Mani Semilla Finds Her Quetzal Voice
by Anna Lapera
Middle School    Levine/Levine Querido    336 pp.
3/24    9781646143719    $18.99

Boys at seventh grader Mani’s school have been assaulting girls in the “grope-’n’-go” social media challenge, and school administrators dismiss the boys’ behavior. Overwhelmed with emotion in reaction to the situation at school, Mani can barely speak; when she learns that her deceased aunt and her own mother were feminist activists in Guatemala, Mani wants to find the strong “quetzal voice” her abuelita encourages her to have. As events escalate, Mani and her friend group, Las Nerdas, unite for a presentation to shake up the school. While the complexity, pervasiveness, and intensity of these topics could make the story feel overwrought, Lapera’s writing shines in the rendering of connection and levity with friends and family. There are laugh-out-loud moments, from the everyday to the bizarre (e.g., stealing a used tampon in a misguided but well-meaning attempt to support a friend). There is inspiration and hope in the steadfastness with which Las Nerdas organize a protest against the harassment and within the stirringly written passages both in old letters from Mani’s tía and in the support found with other students at school. Amid the frankness about challenging topics, readers will also encounter warmth and a pervading sense of capability and inner strength in finding their own voices.

Pubissue-From the March/April 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.