SOFÍA ACOSTA MAKES A SCENE

A fifth grader begins to question where she belongs in her family of Cuban American ballet dancers and in her suburb with its small Latino population.

Sofía Acosta’s home is warm and loving. Her mom stocks the kitchen with snacks for all the neighborhood kids, and relatives and friends often stay over. But unlike her parents and siblings, Sofía far prefers designing ballet costumes to dancing. The Acostas don’t belong to a country club like Sofía’s best friend, Tricia Rivera, however it isn’t until Sofía is assigned to work on a project with a socially conscious friend that she really begins to wonder about the world and notice discriminatory attitudes around her. Like, why is Tricia on board with throwing a party for their Irish teacher upon his becoming a U.S. citizen but opposed to the Acostas’ family friend emigrating from Cuba to join an American ballet company? Extensive character development and masterful scene setting in the first half of the book pay off in a faster-paced second half that sees Sofía grow to understand issues surrounding immigration, race, class, and privilege more deeply. Readers will root for Sofía as she learns to use her voice to advocate for both herself and others.

Bighearted, nuanced, and insightful.