They Call Her Fregona: A Border Kid's Poems
(Hardback)
Publishing Details
They Call Her Fregona: A Border Kid's Poems
By (Author) David Bowles
Penguin Young Readers
Penguin Young Readers
27th September 2022
United States
Classifications
Children
Non Fiction
813.6
Physical Properties
Hardback
256
Width 148mm, Height 216mm, Spine 22mm
374g
Description
A companion to the Pura Belpre Honor book They Call Me G ero "You can be my boyfriend." It only takes five words to change G ero's life at the end of seventh grade.The summer becomes extra busy as he learns to balance new band practice with his old crew, Los Bobbys, and being Joanna Padilla's boyfriend. They call her "fregona"because she's tough, always sticking up for her family and keeping the school bully in check. But G ero sees her softness.Together they cook dollar-store spaghetti and hold hands in the orange grove, learning more about themselves and each other than they could have imagined. But when they start eighth grade, Joanna faces a tragedy that requires G ero to reconsider what it means to show up for someone you love. Honoring multiple poetic traditions, They Call Her Fregona is a bittersweet first-love story in verse and the highly anticipated follow-up to They Call Me G ero.
Reviews
Praise for They Call Her Fregona
A Kirkus Reviews Best Middle Grade Book of 2022
A Center for the Study of Multicultural Childrens Literature Best Book of 2022
Sublime.
Kirkus Reviews, starred review
An unforgettable companion to They Call Me Gero.
School Library Journal, starred review
Captivating . . . a linguistic feast.
Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon, for Shelf Awareness
Author Bio
David Bowles grew up in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, where he teaches at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. He's the author of several award-winning titles, including They Call Me G ero, The Smoking Mirror, the 13th Street series, and Feathered Serpent, Dark Heart of Sky- Myths of Mexico. His picture book debut, My Two Border Towns, is available in English and Spanish. In 2020, David co-founded #DignidadLiteraria, a grassroots activist hashtag and movement dedicated to promoting equity for Latinx people in publishing. You can find him online at davidbowles.us and @DavidOBowles on most social media platforms.
