“Fans of The House on Mango Street and The House of Spirits will be riveted”Booklist, Starred Review
A 13-year-old girl growing up in Mexico is visited by her 30-year-old future self in this powerful Young Adult novel in verse about accepting yourself.
Out of nowhere, a lady comes up to Anamaria and says shes her, from the future. But Anamarias thirteen, she knows better than to talk to a stranger. Girls need to be careful, especially in Ciudad Jurez, Mexicoits the 90s and fear is overtaking her beloved city as cases of kidnapped girls and women become alarmingly common. This thirty-year-old future lady doesnt seem to be dangerous but she wont stop bothering her, switching between cheesy Hallmark advice about being kind to yourself, and some mysterious talk about saving a girl.
Anamaria definitely doesnt need any saving, shes doing just fine. She works hard at her strict, grade-obsessed middle schoolso hard that she hardly gets any sleep; so hard that the stress makes her snap not just at mean girls but even her own (few) friends; so hard that when she does sleep she dreams about dyingbut she just wants to do the best she can so she can grow up to be successful. Maybe Thirtys right, maybe shes not supposed to be so exhausted with her life, but how can she ask for help when her city is mourning the much bigger tragedy of its stolen girls?
This thought-provoking, moving verse novel will lead adult and young adult readers alike to vital discussions on important topicslike dealing with depression and how to recognize this in yourself and othersthrough the accessible voice of a thirteen-year-old girl.
Alessandra Narvez Varela was born and raised in Ciudad Jurez, Mxico. She earned a B.S. in Biology and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Texas at El Paso, where she now teaches. This is her debut novel.