SONIA SOTOMAYOR

For chapter-book readers, the biography of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

Newbery medalist Medina pens this entry in the chapter-book She Persisted biography series, a spinoff of the picture-book series by the same name by Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger. Writing in an engaging and accessible style, Medina introduces children to the young firecracker—described by her family as being “like an ají,” the Spanish word for a hot pepper—who would grow up to be the first Latinx justice and only the third woman to serve on the Supreme Court. Sotomayor’s capacity for persistence and practical problem-solving is evidenced throughout her life. When, as a schoolgirl, she realized she did not know how to be a good student, Sotomayor simply asked “the best student in her class…to teach her how to take notes and how to study for tests.” In a nod to Justice Sotomayor’s Hispanic background, each chapter is titled in Spanish (“Creciendo y aprendiendo,” “Sueños,” etc.), but the narrative text is in English. At the end of the book Medina offers suggestions for children to gain confidence and “persist.” Children on the upper end of the target audience may want to read about the life of this remarkable woman in Sotomayor’s own words in The Beloved World of Sonia Sotomayor (2018).

The compelling story of an inspirational role model.