Stella Díaz Has Something to Say by Angela Dominguez (review)

Drawing and creating art have always come naturally to nine-year-old Stella, but speaking up is tough, especially when her words accidentally come out in Spanish. At other times, Stella has trouble pronouncing English words, and Ms. Thompson, her speech teacher, helps with that part. What Stella could really use help with, though, is the ridicule she's getting from some of her classmates, her fear that her best friend Jenny may have a new best friend, and her worry about what being an alien, not a citizen, means. However, Stella soon graduates from speech class and is now determined to use her voice when she finds out that there will be a new kid in class, and she figures this new friendship could be a fresh start for them both. Stella's story is a whirlwind elementary-grades adventure as she figures out how to balance her cultures, languages, and friends. Dominguez brings additional life to this already lively story with her neat black and white art that conveys emotional shifts and turns and depicts Stella's own artistic masterpieces. There is a familiarity and comfort in Dominguez's mix of home and school scenes, blending melodic Spanish terms and vulnerable and open conversation alongside the tougher limits of school. Readers will agree with Stella's mother and brother that she is, as her name suggests, a star. MK