The Making of Yolanda la Bruja
by Lorraine Avila
High School    Levine Querido    384 pp.
4/23    9781646142439    $19.99

Yolanda Alvarez, just turned sixteen, is coming into her own as a bright student and a budding bruja. Having learned Afro-Dominican ancestral spiritual practices from her grandmother, she follows the guidance of her tarot cards and her Bruja Diosas as she navigates life in the Bronx. In the midst of everyday teenage worries (including not wanting to be “treated like the pretty smart-and-basically-deaf girl”), Yolanda finds herself grappling with uneasy feelings about a mysterious and wealthy new white student as a vision makes her aware that he is dangerous. A gripping plot drives this deftly written novel that straddles the known and unknown worlds; Avila skillfully depicts the reality of growing up as a Black Latinx teen in the midst of racial violence and social upheaval. While ­outsiders in the story may see Yolanda’s family, neighborhood, and school in a ­negative light, Avila carefully demonstrates the tremendous strength in Yolanda’s community and the deep roots of her spiritual life, which keep her grounded as she steps into her full power.

From the March/April 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.