Grow Up, Luchy Zapata

About the Book

A funny, relatable middle school drama about two Colombian American girls who have always been BFFs—until sixth grade turns everything upside down.

Luchy Zapata is starting middle school, and she’s muy excited. She and her two best friends, Cami and Mateo, will finally be at the same school. Luchy and Mateo will be in art class together, and she and Cami can try out for the same soccer team! As long as they’re all together, Luchy can handle anything.

But Cami has been acting weird ever since she got back from visiting family in Colombia. She’s making new, “cool” friends who just seem mean. And suddenly, everything about Luchy and Mateo is too immature for her.

Luchy is determined to help Cami remember how special their friendship is. They’ve been BFFs their whole lives, and that can’t just disappear in a poof of glitter! But…what if Cami doesn’t even want to be friends anymore?

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Written by Alexandra Alessandri
Cover illustration by Rose Bousamra
Designer Debra Sfetsios-Conover
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
ISBN 13: 9781665935968
Ages 8-12, Grades 3-7
Release date: 7.23.24

Available in: Hardback, Paperback, eBook, and Unabridged Audio (narrated by Dominique Franceschi)

Add Grow Up, Luchy Zapata to your Goodreads to-be-read list!

**Preorder Grow Up, Luchy Zapata today!**

Signed copies can be preordered by 7.23.24 through my local indie Books & Books (be sure to add name for personalization in the checkout comment box)!

Grow Up, Luchy Zapata is also available for preorder wherever books are sold, including:

Resources for Grow Up, Luchy Zapata

Simon & Schuster created a fantastic reading group guide, including extension activities, for classroom, library, and reading group use. Guide was written by Cynthia Medrano, Librarian at the Highland Park Public Library.

They also created this fantabulous art activity, drawing from the assignment Luchy receives at school!

TeachingBooks has great resources, including About the Author, Story Map Lesson, and Cultural Representation Reflection.

Praise for Grow Up, Luchy Zapata

“Alessandri’s latest explores classic middle school themes of trying to fit in versus being yourself, and readers will see themselves and their peers in both Luchy and Cami. The infusion of Colombian cultural elements and Spanish phrases makes this stand out.

“A sincere journey of navigating friendship and self-discovery.”–Kirkus Reviews. Full review here.

“Told via thoughtful and confidently rendered narration, this sincere tale of diverging friendship by Alessandri…is augmented by organically layered subplots surrounding Luchy’s feelings of disconnect from her Colombian heritage.”–Publishers Weekly. Full review here.

“Exploring middle-school feelings in a heartfelt way, Alessandri depicts her characters’ emotional arcs with earnest realism. Themes of family, identity, and parental expectations are sure to resonate, and Luchy’s navigation through feelings of inadequacy, frustration, and exclusion with the help of her family and friends is especially moving.”–Booklist. Full review here.

“Set in Miami, this coming-of-age novel deftly weaves Colombian American culture throughout a universally relatable storyline of shifting friendships. VERDICT This realistic friendship tale will be a sure hit with tweens; a must-have for all elementary and middle school libraries.”–School Library Journal. Full review here.

“Set in Miami with lots of multicultural Latine details (Luchy’s abuela cooks Cuban recipes that she learned from her friend; Mateo’s family is Chilean) and naturally incorporated Spanish, this is an endearing middle school–transition story that ultimately lands in favor of expressing who you are and being open to new and changing friendships.”–The Horn Book Magazine

“Funny and relatable, Grow Up, Luchy Zapata will have you rooting for Luchy even as she makes some questionable decisions–glitter, anyone?–in an effort to win her best friend back. This one is a must for any kid navigating the roller-coaster of a friendship breakup.” –Andrea Beatriz Arango, Newbery Honor-winning author of Iveliz Explains It All and Something Like Home

“A heartfelt exploration of changing friendships and the challenges of growing up. Alessandri presents a pitch-perfect story with a main character young readers will relate to and cheer for as Luchy navigates a new school and evolving relationships.” –Adrianna Cuevas, author of Pura Belpré Honor Book The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez and Cuba in My Pocket

“The perfect book for those awkward middle school years. Luchy is the hero every reader in between childhood and adolescence needs–messy, relatable, and remarkable!” –Amanda Rawson Hill, author of The Hope of Elephants

“Alessandri not only captures Luchy’s painful–and painfully relatable–experiences, but also beautifully seasons the story with Colombian food, culture, and art as Luchy tries to figure out her place in not only middle school but also her community.” –Anika Fajardo, author of What If a Fish and Meet Me Halfway