Sofía Acosta Makes a Scene

A poignant, coming of age story about a Cuban-American girl trying to figure out where she belongs--both in her ballet-loving family and the wider world. Perfect for fans of Front Desk and Merci Suárez Changes Gears.

It's a good thing Sofía Acosta loves dreaming up costumes, because otherwise she's a ballet disaster--unlike her parents, who danced under prima ballerina Alicia Alonso before immigrating to the suburbs of New York. Luckily, when the Acostas host their dancer friends from Cuba for a special performance with the American Ballet Theatre, Sofía learns there's more than dance holding her family together. Between swapping stories about Cuba and sharing holiday celebrations, the Acostas have never been more of a team.
Then Sofía finds out about the dancers' secret plans to defect to the United States, and makes a serious mistake--she confides in her best friend, only to discover that Tricia doesn't want outsiders moving to their community. Now Sofía wonders what the other neighbors in her tight-knit suburban town really think of immigrant families like hers. Sofía doesn't want to make a scene, but if she doesn't speak up, how will she figure out if her family really belongs?


Author: Emma Otheguy
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
Published: 01/25/2022
Pages: 288
Binding Type: Library Binding
Weight: 0.85lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.60w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9780593372647
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5.4
Point Value: 10
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 513921 / Sofia Acosta Makes a Scene


Review Citation(s):
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 12/01/2021
Kirkus Reviews 12/01/2021 pg. 236
Horn Book Magazine 03/01/2022

About the Author
Emma Otheguy is the author of the middle-grade novel Silver Meadows Summer (Knopf, 2019) and the bilingual picture book Martí's Song for Freedom (Lee & Low, 2017) which received five starred reviews, was named a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, and the New York Public Library. She co-authored The Unicorn Rescue Society: The Madre de Aguas of Cuba with Adam Gidwitz (Dutton 2020), and her most recent publication is her contribution to the new Carmen Sandiego universe, Secrets of the Silver Lion (HMH 2020).

Emma holds a Ph.D. in History from New York University, where she focused on colonial Latin America, and graduated from Swarthmore College, sold books at an independent bookstore, and taught elementary-school Spanish. She lives in New York City with her family. Visit her online at emmaotheguy.com.