ALONDRA

Against the backdrop of a Coney Island summer, a 17-year-old Puerto Rican teenager tries to find her place in the world.

Alonda Rivera thought she had her summer figured out: She’d get a job, like usual, and beg her guardian, Teresa, to get air conditioning (again). But everything changes when she looks out her apartment window and sees four neighborhood teens wrestling on the playground. Watching wrestling is Alonda’s absolute favorite thing, and she decides she’s going to join them. King, Spider, Pretzel, and Lexi (the only girl in the multiracial group) don’t put up much resistance to including her. Instead, the obstacles are overprotective Teresa and Alonda’s own undecided heart. Italian American Teresa was Alonda’s mother’s best friend until Mami died a decade ago. As for her heart, things are a little complicated: Although she’s romantically interested in King, talking to Lexi lights something up inside her. As she tries to navigate Teresa’s rules and her feelings for these new friends, Alonda, who adopts the alter ego Alondra, must learn to be fearless, just like Mami before her. There’s much to praise in this fast-paced and engaging debut, from the sense of found family that is part of Alonda’s life in multiple ways to the commentary on the impact of gentrification.

A satisfying and joyful read.