Lone Star Book Blog Tour: The Other Half of Happy by Rebecca Balcárcel (Review)

The Other Half of Happy

by
Rebecca Balcárcel
 
Contemporary / Middle Grade / Multi-cultural Family
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Date of Publication: August 20, 2019
Number of Pages: 332

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Quijana is a girl in pieces. 
 
One-half Guatemalan, one-half American: When Quijana’s Guatemalan cousins move to town, her dad seems ashamed that she doesn’t know more about her family’s heritage. 
 
One-half crush, one-half buddy: When Quijana meets Zuri and Jayden, she knows she’s found true friends. But she can’t help the growing feelings she has for Jayden. 
 
One-half kid, one-half grown-up: Quijana spends her nights Skyping with her ailing grandma and trying to figure out what’s going on with her increasingly hard-to-reach brother. 
 
In the course of this immersive and beautifully written novel, Quijana must figure out which parts of herself are most important, and which pieces come together to make her whole. 
 
This lyrical debut from Rebecca Balcárcel is a heartfelt poetic portrayal of a girl growing up, fitting in, and learning what it means to belong.
 
PRAISE FOR THE OTHER HALF OF HAPPY:
 
“Seriously, I have never felt so seen in a book.” —Sophia Jimenez of @LatinxinPub
 

“Balcárcel’s well-rounded characters, complex friendships, and nuanced family dynamics will resonate with many readers. This is a title that will remain relevant long past its publication date. A must-have for all library collections.” — School Library Journal starred review

“With poetic, flowing prose that sometimes feels more like a song and characters so convincing that they seem real, Balcárcel’s stunning debut depicts the struggles of being raised with two cultures and the challenges of not being “authentic” enough—in this case, “not Guatemalan enough” or “not American enough.” A lovely, moving, and realistic view of the struggles and insecurities—as well as the beauty—that comes from being bicultural.” — Booklist starred review

“One of the best and most compassionate depictions of autism I have ever read in fiction.” — Latinas Leyendo

 
CLICK TO PURCHASE
 
 

“No one can see it, but I’m sparkling.”

The Other Half of Happy by Rebecca Balcárcel is a well-written middle-grade story about a young girl, Quijana Carrillo, and her adolescent struggles that are both universal and unique. Quijana is twelve, and she carries the weight of the world on her shoulders. At least, that is how it feels to her. Growing up in a multi-cultural family, Quijana never learned to speak Spanish, her father’s native language, and now she feels isolated, embarrassed, and angry when visiting family and during Spanish class. Is she Latina? Is she Caucasian? Can she be both? She is at war in her own skin. Her parents don’t understand her, and her three-year old brother, Memito, is regressing instead of progressing. What’s more, Quijana has a crush on a new friend, Jayden. But will he ever feel the same for her? Being a seventh grader is hard.

The Other Half of Happy is the perfect story for any middle-grade reader, but it’s a good story for adults, too. Children Quiijana’s age must navigate their transitioning self-awareness, their changing feelings about friends and family, and their budding talents and increasing autonomy. The added uncertainties about cultural identity and acceptance throw Quijana off kilter, but her Grandma Miller is always ready to Skype with her and text message some pretty sage advice. 

This story has a lot of emotional highs and lows, but it is always entertaining and interesting. When her parents plan a trip to Guatemala to visit family over Christmas break, Quijana is determined to skip the humiliation of being surrounded by family she can’t understand and instead ride the bus from Texas to Florida and stay with her Grandma Miller. This secret plan and Quijana’s antics to make it happen drive the story forward, and any adult reader will both cringe at the implications of such a journey and smile at this twelve-year-old’s audacity and determination.

The Other Half of Happy does not water down Quijana’s internal conflict and emotional roller coaster ride. She is both selfishly self-centered and compassionate. She is both embarrassed by her family and gripped with love for them. She is the big sister and often left alone with her little brother, but she is still a child who wants to be heard and understood. She is fiercely courageous and easily crushed. Rebecca Balcárcel captures these all too familiar dualities with ease, honesty, a little laughter, and a few tears.

Through Quijana Carrillo’s point of view, Rebecca Balcárcel presents an expressive and melodic story that is recognizable and heartbreaking, humbling and triumphant, and explosive and tender. 

Enter the giveaway below on or before November 15, 2019, for a chance to win a signed copy of The Other Half of Happy by Rebecca Balcárcel as well as a bookmark and sticker.


I received a free copy of this book from Lone Star Book Blog Tours in exchange for my honest review.


 

Rebecca is a bi-cultural Latina who loves her autistic sons, her kitty, and serving the students of Tarrant County College as Associate Professor of English. She holds an MFA from Bennington Writing Seminars, where she was awarded the Jane Kenton Poetry Prize. THE OTHER HALF OF HAPPY is her debut novel.

 

WEBSITE  ⬞    INSTAGRAM
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————————————-
GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!
THREE WINNERS EACH RECEIVE:
SIGNED COPY OF THE OTHER HALF OF HAPPY 
BOOKMARK & STICKER!
NOVEMBER 5-15, 2019

VISIT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:

11/5/19 Author Video Texas Book Lover
11/5/19 BONUS Post Hall Ways Blog
11/6/19 Review That’s What She’s Reading
11/7/19 Excerpt Max Knight
11/8/19 Review Missus Gonzo
11/9/19 Notable Quotable All the Ups and Downs
11/10/19 Guest Post Story Schmoozing Book Reviews
11/11/19 Review Librariel Book Adventures
11/12/19 Scrapbook Page StoreyBook Reviews
11/13/19 Review Book Fidelity
11/14/19 Review Reading by Moonlight
 
 
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