false 27757607 721392 2236319 1933693185 9781933693187 16 http://www.goodreads.com/images/books/22/319/2236319-m-1255664015.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/books/22/319/2236319-s-1255664015.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2236319.The_Smell_of_Old_Lady_Perfume 4.00 29
Booklist says that readers will "find the book's loving portrayal of Chela's family, its nicely realized setting, and its artful exploration of the problems of assimilation to be both engaging and heartfelt."

School Library Journal calls it "a sweet coming-of-age story, telling of the cruelties of children toward one another and dealing with the loss of a parent."

Other praise:

"Goooooolaso! Claudia Martinez scores! The Smell of Old Lady Perfume will linger on you for days. Anyone whose had to confront a cafeteria caste system, battle Mean Girls en espanol, or wistfully desire a father and daughter relationship reminiscent of To Kill a Mockingbird will love this book."

--Michele Serros, author of Honey Blonde Chica and Chicana Falsa

"This is a story of Apás and mijas and life and death set in El Paso--on the border between the North and South, Spanish and English, tradición and assimilation. And the biggest border of them all: the sixth grade, that mountain top where you can look back and see monsters under the bed and look ahead to even scarier things, like kisses, popularity contests and sudden absences that can fill a heart to bursting. Claudia Martínez delivers it all with her own sweet, sad and playful word-music, a sound like the border itself."

--Rubén Martínez, Emmy award winning journalist and author of Crossing Over: A Mexican Family on the Migrant Trail]]> 1010472 4.00 29 16 2008 0 0 false Sat Jul 19 22:08:19 -0700 2008 Sat Jul 19 22:08:21 -0700 2008