I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter

National Book Award Finalist
Instant New York Times Bestseller

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian meets Jane the Virgin in this poignant but often laugh-out-loud funny contemporary YA about losing a sister and finding yourself amid the pressures, expectations, and stereotypes of growing up in a Mexican-American home.

Perfect Mexican daughters do not go away to college. And they do not move out of their parents' house after high school graduation. Perfect Mexican daughters never abandon their family.

But Julia is not your perfect Mexican daughter. That was Olga's role.

Then a tragic accident on the busiest street in Chicago leaves Olga dead and Julia left behind to reassemble the shattered pieces of her family. And no one seems to acknowledge that Julia is broken, too. Instead, her mother seems to channel her grief into pointing out every possible way Julia has failed.

But it's not long before Julia discovers that Olga might not have been as perfect as everyone thought. With the help of her best friend Lorena, and her first love, first everything boyfriend Connor, Julia is determined to find out. Was Olga really what she seemed? Or was there more to her sister's story? And either way, how can Julia even attempt to live up to a seemingly impossible ideal?

"Alive and crackling--a gritty tale wrapped in a page-turner. "--The New York Times

"Unique and fresh." --Entertainment Weekly

"A standout." --NPR

Author: Erika L. Sánchez
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
Published: 10/17/2017
Pages: 352
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.80w x 1.20d
ISBN: 9781524700485
Age Range: 14-UP

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 4.7
Point Value: 12
Interest Level: Upper Grade
Quiz #/Name: 193218 / I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter

Award: National Book Awards - Finalist

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 08/07/2017
Kirkus Reviews 08/15/2017 pg. 211
School Library Journal 09/01/2017 pg. 150
Booklist 09/01/2017 pg. 102
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 11/01/2017 - Book Of Special Distinction
Shelf Awareness 12/05/2017
Horn Book Magazine 03/01/2018 pg. 96
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2018 - Superior,Well Above Average

About the Author
Erika L. Sánchez is a poet, a feminist, and a cheerleader for young women everywhere. She was the sex and love advice columnist for Cosmopolitan for Latinas for three years, and her writing has appeared in the Rolling Stone, Salon, and the Paris Review. Since she was a 12-year-old nerd in giant bifocals and embroidered vests, Erika has dreamed of writing complex, empowering stories about girls of color--what she wanted to read as a young adult. She lives in Chicago, not far from the setting of I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter. Erika is fluent in Spanish, Spanglish, and cat. You can find out more about her at erikalsanchez.com or @erikalsanchez.