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 … 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.
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“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.
“Being a little kid was easier than this. I wasn’t half anything. I was a whole continent then, like Pangaea. Unsplit. Now I have tectonic plates. Mom looks at me and sees Grandma Miller’s cheekbones; Dad sees the Carrillo nose. I see one land mass, but I’m wrong. My body is where Guatemala crashes into the United States. What happens to me, the whole me, when my plates shift, when my continents tear apart? No one told me twelve was earthquake season.”
In this beautifully written story, readers navigate seventh grade right along with Quijana as she compassionately explores cultural identity and self-belonging amidst the tribulations of adolescence and the uncertainty of family illness and disability. Quijana’s voice hooked me from the opening, establishing herself as a strong, relatable, and authentic protagonist. I was incredibly captivated by the author’s ability to not only transport me back to the days of angst, embarrassment, and confusion that is being twelve and starting middle school, but also now as a mother, wanting to grab Quijana and hold her tight as she so eloquently expressed what we all need to hear regardless of our age: We all belong in this world.
Definitely preferring her Anglo side, it is only when Quijana’s Guatemalan cousins move to town and convince her family to take a trip to Gautemala that she begins to truly question her self-identity. And though her parents encourage her to be herself, Quijana also begins to sense the familial pressure to embrace a Latin culture that she feels no connection to. Her father’s upbringing is not her own, yet it is thrust upon her at a crucial coming of age moment. Her disappointments, feelings of frustration, and insecurities are vividly captured as she fights what she believes is a forced family connection. Ultimately however, her newfound hobby of playing the guitar allows her to speak the universal language of music that we can all understand: A hopeful message to a budding relationship between once divided worlds.
“Everything’s okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.”
Quijana’s Grandmother is an inspiring testament to the unconditional and unique bond shared between generations. Her grandmother’s wisdom is insightful, yet relevant, and offers Quijana the powerful ability to become amazingly introspective. It’s something you wish could be bottled up and passed around. Unfortunately, her grandmother’s sudden health problems delivers another set of heartbreaking circumstances that Quijana must come to terms with. However, her grandmother’s influence creates a positive touchstone for all future interactions with others.
While Quijana’s story may at first glance seem deeply personal, the author’s masterful storytelling fashions a profoundly universal tale. This is an absolutely stunning debut that begs to be read-aloud and shared widely!
Many thanks to Lone Star Book Blog Tours and the author for providing me with a free copy of this book. This is my honest and thoughtful review.
Quijana’s journey to understand herself better and how she fits between two cultures is authentic and relatable to readers of all backgrounds, and her language struggles will particularly hit home for some. With Rebecca Balcárcel’s lyrical language, Quijana’s voice feels both fresh and familiar. A beautiful coming of age story.
Rebecca Balcárcel has penned a touching and oh-so-satisfying story featuring a fierce and tender new Latinx super star, Quijana Carrillo! Quijana will capture your heart with her defiant spirit and unwavering love for friends and family.