Review by Booklist Review
Fifteen-year-old Sue is not looking forward to going to Honduras this summer with her family. She would rather be with her friends at Camp Willow, canoeing and hiking. Expecting to spend her time in Honduras bored or with her nose in a manga, she is horrified to find out that her mother had secretly been planning to surprise her with a grand quinceañera, against her wishes. What starts off as her worst nightmare for Sue, who hates being under the spotlight and is self-conscious about her Spanish, then becomes a summer where Sue learns to embrace her culture on her own terms. Fajardo's colorful artwork is lively, full of emotion, and done in a style that will appeal to fans of Raina Telgemeier and Jen Wang. Miss Quinces is a bittersweet coming-of-age story that teaches young readers that there can be a balance between accepting themselves for who they are while also cherishing their multigenerational family traditions.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
New Yorker and aspiring graphic novelist Suyapa Gutiérrez, the protagonist of Fajardo's solo debut, would rather spend her 15th birthday reading manga than dancing in a "weird poofy dress" at a quinceañera. But on a family trip to visit her mother's family in Honduras, Sue learns that her mother has already planned the celebration--with a pink princess theme--and invited 100 guests. Sue's beloved artist grandmother proposes a compromise: if Sue has the quinces of her mother's dreams, she'll get to attend sleepaway camp with friends. But as the family prepares, her grandmother's health takes a turn, making for a very different kind of ceremony. Choppy-haired, bespectacled Sue, who prefers black to pink and longs for more independence than her protective parents allow, embodies challenges that will be recognizable to many. Fajardo is sympathetic to the entire extended family: Sue's parents make concessions to the individual she's becoming (she receives a pair of construction boots, not pumps, for the celebration's shoe ceremony), and Sue learns to cherish family tradition en route to appreciating her Honduran heritage. A slightly redundant travelogue, Sue's creation for class, concludes; Fajardo closes with photos from her own quinces and a glossary. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8--12. Agent: Linda Camacho, Gallt & Zacker Literary. (May)■
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4--8--In her graphic novel debut, Fajardo adeptly captures the angst of young people who are caught between two cultures---too Latinx to be accepted as American and too American to be accepted as Latinx. All tween Suyapa "Sue" Gutierrez wants to do this summer is hang out with her cool friends at summer camp and work on her comics. Instead, she has to head to Honduras to visit family where her mother surprises her with plans to have a quinceañera party. The last thing Sue wants to do is wear a big poofy dress, dance the waltz in high heels, and celebrate a very traditional and girly event where she is the center of attention. Fajardo explores themes of sisterhood, bilingualism, and intergenerational conflicts and resolutions in this delightful and often touching volume. The protagonist is sweet but prickly, a winning combination in this inviting work done in candy-colored and cheerful digital art. The variation in panel sizes enhances the even pacing, and the expressive faces and body movements ramp up the book's humor. Blue font indicates when characters are speaking in Spanish, while black font indicates English. Sue and her family often switch between the two, but over the course of the summer, their speech bubbles feature more blue text, though she remains more proficient in English. Sue's school friends are a variety of races as are her family members--refreshingly showing the diversity within the Honduran community. VERDICT With all of the charm of Raina Telgemeier and Lucy Knisley's works, this title will be enjoyed by voracious fans of coming-of-age graphic novels. But the specificity of having to stride two cultures and feeling like an outcast in both will especially resonate with readers from bicultural communities.--Shelley M. Diaz
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Review by Horn Book Review
All Sue (Suyapa Yisel to her family) Gutierrez wants to do this summer is hang out with her Comics Club buddies at Camp Willow. But her overprotective mom has planned a family trip to Honduras to see Abuelita Rita and celebrate Sue's quinceanera -- a party she never asked for and would rather skip. Feeling doomed to a boring and uninspiring summer, Sue finds that spending time with her abuelita, an artist herself, is anything but dull. Rita's consejos -- advice, wisdom, and family stories -- help Sue gain a new closeness to her family and learn to cherish cultural traditions. With the coming-of-age ceremony, she resolves to "be braver and embrace [her] true colors," adapting the longstanding tradition in a way that lets it remain relevant to her own life. Fajardo's deft graphic-novel paneling and expressive use of line and Azzi's color palette of cool blues and pinks convey the complexity and full range of Sue's feelings, both in important moments and in more mundane ones. An author's note, additional information about quinceaneras, and photographs are appended. Lettycia Terrones May/June 2022 p.143(c) Copyright 2022. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
