Title: Furia
Author: Camille Saied Mendez
Publisher: Algonquin
Copyright & Publishing Date: 2020
Audience: ages 14 and up
Awards: Pura Belpre Author Award (2021)
Starred Reviews: Kirkus Reviews (08/01/20), Publishers Weekly Annex (10/26/20), School Library Journal Press (08/28/20)
Summary: Set in Argentina, all 17 year old Camila wants to do is play soccer. However, her family sees soccer as a male sport. So Camila lies to her family and joins a female soccer team. When the team has a chance to play in a South American tournament, which will have scouts from the United States who can help Camila secure a chance to play professionally, Camila has to find a way to play without letting her family know. To complicate matters, her love interest, Diego, has returned from Italy where he is playing professional soccer. He want to sweep her away from her abusive father and take her to Italy while he plays soccer. Camila must decide between her family, her boyfriend, and her love of soccer.
Categories/Genre: This is a YA realistic fiction book. It is also a #OwnVoices book. I included this book on my list because it was recommend to me by my local librarian. It was a great window into a culture that I don't know much about.
Title: Me (Moth)
Author: Amber McBride
Publisher: Square Fish, Fewer, and Friends
Publishing Date: 2023, Copyright Date: 2021
Audience: ages 12 and up
Lexile: HL750L
Awards: John Steptoe Award - Author (2022), William C. Morris YA Debut nominee (2022)
Starred reviews: Booklist (07/01/21), School Library Journal (08/01/21)
Summary: Moth has been struggling since her entire family was killed in a car crash. When she meets Sani, she finds someone who she feels like can see who she really is. They begin a cross-country journey back to Sani's father house on Navajo land in New Mexico when Sani's new stepfather becomes abusive and his mother does nothing to stop it. Along the way they share their stories and their family traditions while stopping at different landmarks along the way.
Categories/Genre: YA fiction book. The genre could be realistic fiction or ghost stories. It is also a novel in verse. This book was on the list for the Green Mountain Book award. I included it here because it is a novel in verse which I love. It also has some surprises which were unexpected while I was reading the book.
