August 7, 2024 - Anastasia Suen

Grow Up, Luchy Zapata
by Alexandra Alessandri (Author)
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Booktalk: 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?

Snippet: My house isn’t too far, but every second feels eternal as I count the beats between now and when I’ll see my BFF for the first time since the start of summer. It’s been a long two and a half months without Cami, but that doesn’t matter now. It’s my birthday, the weather is fantabulous, and soon, the Wonder Twins will finally be back together again.

“You nervous about tomorrow?” Mami asks, pulling into our community.

I shrug. “A little, I guess.”

Tomorrow is the start of middle school. Sixth grade feels scary, like the deep end of the pool when you’re just learning how to swim. What if I sink? Papi keeps telling me we’ll all be in the same fishbowl, and Mami keeps reminding me that Cami and Mateo will be with me. Power in numbers and all that.

But part of me can’t help worrying. I know I won’t technically be alone. We got lucky–magnet schools are lottery based but all three of us were accepted into the same program and we have some classes together. Still, what if I have no one to sit with at lunch? What if no one else wants to be friends with me? Then there’s the possibility of getting lost. My new school is three times as big as my old one and that’s kind of terrifying.

Mami pulls into a spot by the pool entrance and turns to me. “It’ll be fine. You’ll see. Sixth grade will be an amazing year.”

I hope so.