3 Great YA Books Starring Argentinian Characters
Kingdoms have begun to fall to a doomsday cult, the magical Graced are being persecuted, and an ancient power threatens to break free. But with the world hurtling toward its prophesized end, one man's haunting vision reveals the dangerous beginnings of a plan to stop the Age of Darkness. Six of Crows meets Graceling with a dash of 'Winter is Coming' in Katy Rose Pool's Age of Darkness series, which Kirkus calls "well-crafted, surprising, and gripping."
It’s always interesting to me how I notice patterns of three in my reading, revealing some unconscious draw I must have to certain books, themes, or topics. The most recent pattern I’ve noticed is some really great Argentinian characters in YA! One book I’m highlighting is a backlist from last year, and two are brand new novels just out this fall—one is even a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick. Here we go:
The Tenth Girl by Sara Faring
Set in Patagonia, which is a region on the southern tip of South America that spreads across Chile and Argentina, this novel is about Mavi, a young woman fleeing political persecution in Buenos Aires. She takes a job as a teacher at Vaccaro School, a remote mansion that offers the finest education for girls from rich families. But when Mavi arrives, she can tell that there isn’t something quite right about the place, which contains many secrets. She’s told not to leave her room at night, and she hears odd things in the dark. Then when one of her students goes missing, Mavi is forced to confront the truth about Vaccaro School.
Furia by Yamile Saied Mendez
Set in Rosario, Argentina, this novel follows Camila Hassan, who is known as La Furia on the soccer field, but keeps her passion for the sport and her participation in the game a secret at home. When her team advances to an important tournament that could bring her one step closer to her dream of attending a North American school on scholarship, Camila must find a way to balance the sport she lives for, the family she loves, and even the boy she once cared for, who is now back in town. Pulled in multiple directions, Camila will learn that she must forge her own path forward. This novel is the next Reese’s Book Club YA pick, so grab a copy ASAP!
Lobizona by Romina Garber
Manuela Azul is a teenage girl living in Miami, trying to stay under the radar. Hiding from ICE because she and her mother do not have documentation, and hiding from her father’s Argentinian crime family. But when her mother is arrested and the only grandmother figure she’s ever known is attacked, Manuela must face her past and investigate her dead father’s family. What she finds is straight out of Argentinian folklore, and involves magic, lobizonas, and curses, a discovery will allow Manuela to claim her own power.
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