The Making of Yolanda La Bruja (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781646142439)

COMMON SENSE MEDIA SELECTION FOR TEENS
BOOKLIST BEST OF THE YEAR
NYPL TOP 10 OF THE YEAR
HIPLATINA BEST OF THE YEAR

Elizabeth Acevedo has said that reading Lorraine Avila feels like an "UPPERCUT to the senses." You've never encountered an author with prose of this sensitivity and fire.

Yolanda Alvarez is having a good year. She's starting to feel at home at Julia De Burgos High, her school in the Bronx. She has her best friend Victory, and maybe something with José, a senior boy she's getting to know. She's confident her initiation into her family's bruja tradition will happen soon.

But then a white boy, the son of a politician, appears at Julia De Burgos High, and his vibes are off. And Yolanda's initiation begins with a series of troubling visions of the violence this boy threatens. How can Yolanda protect her community, in a world that doesn't listen? Only with the wisdom and love of her family, friends, and community - and the Bruja Diosas, her ancestors and guides.

The Making of Yolanda la Bruja is the book this country, struggling with the plague of gun violence, so desperately needs, but which few could write. Here Lorraine Avila brings a story born from the intersection of race, justice, education, and spirituality that will capture readers everywhere.

P R A I S E

★ "Inspiring... full of heart and spirituality."
--Shelf-Awareness (starred)

★ "A sharply rendered portrait...Avila's striking debut is not to be missed."
--Booklist (starred)

★ "Unabashedly political...A remarkable, beautifully rendered debut."
--Kirkus (starred)

★ "Suspenseful...A boldly characterized protagonist whose intersectional identities as a queer and Deaf person of color informs her sharp-witted narrative voice and conviction around combatting racism within her community."
--Publishers Weekly (starred)

★ Heartbreaking... thoughtful and gripping... Avila has created a complex heroine whose identities as a Deaf and queer person of color give a layer of authenticity and intersectionality that will resonate with readers."
--School Library Journal (starred)

"Impressive and urgent. [Avila] takes on racism, violence and injustice with a mix of magic, spirituality and care that few have attempted--and she's captivatingly successful."
--Ms. Magazine

"Explores gun violence, race, justice, education, and spirituality, which holds this book like a canopy, enclosing and exposing layers of Blackness and the growth and sense of belonging community can provide."
--Al Dia

"A necessary story about gun violence, race, and education."
--Refinery29

"Gripping...skillfully depicts the reality of growing up as a Black Latinx teen in the midst of racial violence and social upheaval... 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."
--Horn Book

"Written in stunning prose, this sharp examination of education, race, violence, and spirituality is a must-read."
--The Mary Sue

Author: Lorraine Avila
ISBN-10: 1646142438
ISBN-13: 9781646142439
Publisher: Levine Querido
Language: English
Published: 04/11/2023
Pages: 384
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.35lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.90w x 1.20d

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 02/01/2023
Publishers Weekly 02/13/2023
Horn Book Magazine 03/01/2023 pg. 62
Booklist 04/15/2023 pg. 54
Shelf Awareness 05/05/2023
School Library Journal 09/22/2023 pg. 1
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2023 - Superior,Well Above Average