Flora la Fresca & the Art of Friendship

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Author(s)

Veronica Chambers

Publisher

Dial Books

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

July 18, 2023

ISBN

978-0525556299

Buy This Book

From an NYT bestselling author comes the first in an illustrated middle grade series about a Panamanian American girl who uses humor and a little mischief to navigate her best friend moving away and her sister's overbearing and all-consuming quince preparations.

Flora Violeta LeFevre, aka Flora "la Fresca" (so called because she tells it like it is, occasionally to her parents' chagrin) can always count on her best friend Clara Ocampo Londra to turn anything-from a day at the skate park to dreaded Saturday Spanish school into an exciting adventure. But amidst Flora's personal nightmare that is her sister Maylin's never-ending dress try-ons and dance practices for her upcoming quincea�era, news breaks that Clara's moving, and Flora doesn't know how she'll survive without her. The girls quickly roll up their sleeves and use their larger-than-life imaginations to make the most of each passing day together. But things get complicated when Clara moves and starts making new friends, an unlikely alliance blossoms between Flora and a new student, and preparations for Maylin's quince take a disastrous (but hilarious) turn.

Editor review

1 review

Authentic and Relatable

December 30, 2023

Overall rating

4.7

Plot

4.0

Characters

5.0

Writing Style

5.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

N/A

Flora La Fresca & the Art of Friendship accurately captures the ups and downs of tween life from friendship issues to sibling drama and figuring out who you are in the process.

Flora and Clara are BFFs who are so close they consider themselves sisters. The two girls are devastated when Clara's mother gets a new job that has them moving across the country. Despite keeping in touch with weekly Zoom calls and texts Flora feels replaced when Clara makes a new friend.

Besides BFF woes, Flora has been recruited to help with her sister's quinceañera prep. There is a whirlwind of sibling drama that includes Flora playing a prank on her sister when they are dress shopping. Some touching sweet moments between Flora and her sister are a reminder that sibling relationships are a real rollercoaster of emotions.

What I Liked:
Veronica Chambers does a fantastic job of weaving Panamanian and Argentinian cultures into the story. From learning Spanish with Flora and Clara to mouthwatering descriptions of empanadas, you'll feel like you're right there beside them.

I loved that Flora felt so relatable from the way she struggled with Clara's move and finding a new friend to her up-and-down relationship with her sister.

I highly recommend Flora La Fresca & the Art of Friendship for any middle graders who enjoy realistic fiction and want a book that can make them laugh and cry.