Lucha libre, diner lingo, and digging for secrets in a historical archive - what's not to like?
This is the story of Adela Ramírez and her family, and I mean family in every sense of the word. When her loving stepfather wants to adopt her, Adela finds herself grappling with questions about her unknown (to her) biological father and her mother's secrets. Her sleuthing uncovers a family of famous wrestlers - her family - and she navigates meeting them and learning their history against a backdrop of wrestling moves, friendship, mysteries, and a school production of The Nutcracker - with a twist.
I loved feeling immersed in the New Mexico setting (Adela's grandmother makes holiday themed statues out of tumbleweed!), as well as the conversations and wrestling names in Spanish. But I think my favorite part was the ending (no spoilers, I promise!). Even as the book wrapped up, I felt like Adela's story wasn't ending, and that all her challenges hadn't been neatly resolved but rather, like real life, she would continue to learn and grow along with her family.
Celia C. Pérez is a librarian in Chicago, and her other highly acclaimed books are Strange Birds: A Field Guide to Ruffling Feathers and The First Rule of Punk.