I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter
by Erika L. Sánchez; read by Kyla Garcia
High School    Listening Library    Rev. 3/18
8 CDs    9.7 hrs.    978-1-5247-8224-5    $60.00

When her older sister, Olga, dies, Julia discovers Olga was not the “perfect Mexican daughter” everybody thought she was. Julia, who longs to be a writer and leave her poor Chicago neighborhood behind, must decide whether she should keep Olga’s secret or tell her parents the truth, all the while fending off her own depression and her mother’s unrealistic expectations. Julia’s sardonic wit results in laugh-out-loud moments, which balance the intense mother-daughter arguments. Garcia’s engaging reading adds new dimension to the book through her expressive voices (Julia is prickly yet vulnerable) and individual accents for each character.

From the July/August 2018 issue of The Horn Book Magazine: Special Issue: ALA Awards.