Becoming Beatriz
  • Published: 17 September 2019
  • ISBN: 9781580897785
  • Imprint: Charlesbridge Children
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 272
  • RRP: $40.00

Becoming Beatriz

Formats & editions
EBook
17 Sep 2019
Paperback
15 Feb 2022
Hardback
17 Sep 2019
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Beatriz dreams of a life spent dancing--until tragedy on the day of her quinceañera changes everything.

"A compelling read about the quest for fame!"
      —Debbie Allen, star of Fame

"Redemption is a heartbeat away."
      —Guadalupe Garcia McCall, author of the Pura Belpre Award winner Under the Mesquite

Beatriz dreams of a life spent dancing--until tragedy on the day of her quinceañera changes everything.

Up until her fifteenth birthday, the most important thing in the world to Beatriz Mendez was her dream of becoming a professional dancer and getting herself and her family far from the gang life that defined their days--that and meeting her dance idol Debbie Allen on the set of her favorite TV show, Fame. But after the latest battle in a constant turf war leaves her brother, Junito, dead and her mother grieving, Beatriz has a new set of priorities. How is she supposed to feel the rhythm when her brother's gang needs running, when her mami can't brush her own teeth, and when the last thing she can remember of her old self is dancing with her brother, followed by running and gunshots? When the class brainiac reminds Beatriz of her love of the dance floor, her banished dreams sneak back in. Now the only question is: will the gang let her go?

Set in New Jersey in 1984, Beatriz's story is a timeless one of a teenager's navigation of romance, her brother's choices, and her own family's difficult past. A companion novel to the much-lauded Like Vanessa.
  • Published: 17 September 2019
  • ISBN: 9781580897785
  • Imprint: Charlesbridge Children
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 272
  • RRP: $40.00
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Praise for Becoming Beatriz

Praise for Like Vanessa

  • 2017 Indies Introduce Winter/Spring 2018 and Kids' Indie Next Spring 2018
  • "This debut is a treasure: a gift to every middle school girl who ever felt unpretty, unloved, and trapped by her circumstances."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review
  • "Charles evades the clichés and imbues Vanessa with an inner life that's so real and so personal it's hard to deny the charm, heartbreak, and triumph of her story."--Booklist, starred review
  • "Like Vanessa is an emotionally potent, engaging young adult story with a heroine whom it is impossible not to root for. The life lessons that Nessy learns are relevant and worthwhile for everyone."--Foreword Reviews, starred review
  • "It's such an honor to be the focal point of this wonderful book! Without a doubt, it will be inspiring to a new generation of young, talented girls well on their way to promising careers."--Vanessa Williams, multi-platinum recording artist, NY Times best selling author, fashion designer, and star of television, film, and the broadway stage
  • "Like Vanessa has it all and then some! Gritty, poetic, emotionally true, Tami Charles wrings out every hope, every stumble and every triumph of a girl on an uneasy road to possessing her self, her strength and her own beauty. An unforgettable debut."--Rita Williams-Garcia, author of One Crazy Summer and P.S. Be Eleven

    • Praise for Like Vanessa

  • 2017 Indies Introduce Winter/Spring 2018 and Kids' Indie Next Spring 2018
  • "This debut is a treasure: a gift to every middle school girl who ever felt unpretty, unloved, and trapped by her circumstances."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review
  • "Charles evades the clichés and imbues Vanessa with an inner life that's so real and so personal it's hard to deny the charm, heartbreak, and triumph of her story."--Booklist, starred review
  • "Like Vanessa is an emotionally potent, engaging young adult story with a heroine whom it is impossible not to root for. The life lessons that Nessy learns are relevant and worthwhile for everyone."--Foreword Reviews, starred review
  • "It's such an honor to be the focal point of this wonderful book! Without a doubt, it will be inspiring to a new generation of young, talented girls well on their way to promising careers."--Vanessa Williams, multi-platinum recording artist, NY Times best selling author, fashion designer, and star of television, film, and the broadway stage
  • "Like Vanessa has it all and then some! Gritty, poetic, emotionally true, Tami Charles wrings out every hope, every stumble and every triumph of a girl on an uneasy road to possessing her self, her strength and her own beauty. An unforgettable debut."--Rita Williams-Garcia, author of One Crazy Summer and P.S. Be Eleven