Weekly Challenge: The Lightning Queen by Laura Resau

Greetings Upper Schoolers and welcome to August!  This week's special challenge is to read a book about a character who doesn't look like you or live like you.  Some of you have already contributed great reviews of fantasies, realistic fiction and superhero stories.  I have a suggestion of my own to add: The Lightning Queen by Laura Resau.  This historical fiction novel is set in Mexico and tells the story of two friends from different cultures.  Teo, a rural Mixtec boy from the Hill of Dust, meets Esma, a gypsy girl whose caravan rolls into town.  A fortune teller traveling with Esma says the two will be friends for life, but their community does not approve of her mingling with "non-Roms".  Despite their cultural differences, the two create a bond and hope to fulfill their destinies.  This story features a bit of magic and I found it very interesting to read about two characters who didn't look or live like me.

- Librarian Margaret