The Other Half of Happy
by Rebecca Balcárcel (Author)
Booktalk: 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.
Quijana must figure out which parts of herself are most important, and which pieces come together to make her whole.
Snippet: Memito kicks his leg and grunts. Mom turns on the faucet. “He might want some water,” she calls. “His sippy cup’s on the table.”
He’s pushing at the tray and twisting his body.
He doesn’t want water, I know. Me and Memito, our minds are like two strings of Christmas lights, one plugged into the next. Grown-ups don’t remember what it’s like living at knee level, but I do. “Down?” I say, and his face relaxes.
“Make him say it, Qui,” Mom says.
“Down,” I say. I stand right in front of him. “Say ‘down.'”
He arches his back, straining against the tray. “Aahhh!”
I frown. Memito used to do everything I showed him.
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