The making of Yolanda la bruja

Title:

Author:

Summary:

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 Brujas Diosas, her ancestors and guides. -- Provided by publisher.

Physical Description:

374 pages ; 22 cm

Genre:

Paranormal fiction.

Subject Term:

Hispanic Americans -- Fiction.

Visions -- Fiction.

High school students -- Fiction.

High schools -- Fiction.

Geographic Term:

Bronx (New York, N.Y.) -- Fiction.

Publisher:

Levine Querido,

Publication Date:

2023

ISBN:

9781646142439

Publication Information:

Montclair : Levine Querido, 2023.

Call Number:

YA AVILA

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003687145	New Young Adult	AVILA	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

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 Notes

Lorraine Avila (she/they) is a storyteller. Lorraine was born and raised in the Bronx, NY and is a first generation Dominican-American. Avila spent a decade as an educator in the K-12 education system. She has a BA from Fordham University in English, an MA in Teaching from New York University, and an MFA from the University of Pittsburgh. The Making of Yolanda La Bruja is her YA debut.

Reviews (1)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Black Dominican high school sophomore Yolanda Nuelis Alvarez, a budding bruja, contends with dangerous visions surrounding gun violence at her Bronx school in Avila's suspenseful debut. After Yolanda is tasked with guiding white new student Ben around Julia De Burgos High, she begins to have alarming visions about him and his racist reaction to being classmates with students of color. Fearful of his intentions and eager to prevent any harm from coming to her peers and their school, Yolanda relies on her best friend Victory; her bruja grandmother and spiritual mentor, Mamá Teté; and her ancestors, the Bruja Diosas, to investigate Ben's past and uncover his true motives. Alongside her inquiry, Yolanda balances overwhelm surrounding her father's prison release, her imminent bruja initiation, and a burgeoning romance with a senior basketball player. Avila skillfully cultivates a unique and magical spin on a grounded, socially conscious plot that is rich in Afro-Latinx cultural detail. Yolanda is 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. Ages 12--up. Agent: Patrice Caldwell, New Leaf Literary & Media. (Apr.)