Stella Diaz Has Something to Say

Description

Introducing Stella Diaz, a sweet new young middle-grade character who will win your heart! When a new boy named Stanley arrives in Stella's class, she really wants to be his friend, but sometimes Stella accidentally speaks Spanish instead of English and pronounces words wrong, which makes her turn roja. Plus, she has to speak in front of her whole class for a big presentation at school! But she better get over her fears soon, because Stella Diaz has something to say! This is the first middle-grade novel from award-winning picture book author and illustrator Angela Dominguez. Based on the author's experiences growing up Mexican-American, this infectiously charming character comes to life through relatable story-telling and adorable black-and-white art throughout.

Angela Dominguez was born in Mexico City, grew up in the great state of Texas, and now resides in Brooklyn. She is the author and illustrator of several books for children including Maria Had a Little Llama, which received the Pura Belpre Illustration Honor. She received her second Pura Belpre Honor for her illustrations in Mango, Abuela, and Me written by Meg Medina.

"Fans of Clementine and Alvin Ho will be delighted to meet Stella." --School Library Journal, starred review "Drawing on her own childhood, Dominguez smoothly blends Spanish and English into the narration and dialogue, Stella's Mexican-American culture fully informs her perspective and family life, and chunky spot art helps establish the setting. Readers should easily relate to Stella, her struggle to use her voice, and the way she feels caught between worlds at school and at home." --Publishers Weekly "Dominguez's novel introduces a character many readers can relate to, especially bilingual kids or English language learners who struggle with expressing themselves. An excellent, empowering addition to middle grade collections." --Booklist "A nice and timely depiction of an immigrant child experience." --Kirkus Reviews "Readers will agree with Stella's mother and brother that she is, as her name suggests, a star." --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "Many readers will relate to and sympathize with the protagonist. Lively interspersed black-and-white illustrations showing elements of Stella's day-to-day life and of her imagination add dimension to a rich narrative." --Horn Book "Stella Diaz Has Something to Say is delightfully rich, both humorous and sensitive at the same time. This is the story of a curious girl who longs to fit in, but also feels the need to be herself, learning how to speak up in two languages." --Margarita Engle, Young People's Poet Laureate "Stella Diaz is a delight! Young readers will love the story of this shy, sweet, and very creative girl finding her voice." --Monica Brown, author of the Lola Levine series "Shy yet spunky Stella speaks to feeling different, to conquering fears in order to make a new friend, and to learning that, like the starfish who shares her name--Estrella--she is stronger than she thinks." --Danielle Davis, author of Zinnia and the Bees "An inspiring tale of self-discovery. Stella Diaz speaks for anyone who has struggled to juggle different sides of their identity. Which is, of course, all of us." --Minh Le, author of Let Me Finish!