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The Chismosas Only Book Club
Not yet published
Expected 26 May 26336 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication May 26, 2026
13 people want to read
About the author
Laekan Zea Kemp
31 books602 followersLaekan Zea Kemp is a writer living in Austin, Texas. Her debut novel, Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet was a 2022 Pura Belpré Honor Recipient. She has three objectives when it comes to storytelling: to make people laugh, cry, and crave Mexican food. Her work celebrates Chicane grit, resilience, creativity, and joy while exploring themes of identity and mental health.
Find her on social media @LaekanZeaKemp
http://www.laekanzeakemp.com/
Find her on social media @LaekanZeaKemp
http://www.laekanzeakemp.com/
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
E ARC Provided by Edelweiss Plus
The town of Nueva Rosita, New Mexico is the charming setting of this story about a slightly magical bookstore and the four girls who have a book club there. Milagro's Books is indeed the site of a miracle. When Cat was very young and her parents inherited the store, she wandered in and the whole store fell down around her, but she was safe. A piece of paper, an insurance policy, even wafted down into the wreckage, and the store was covered. Things aren't going as smoothly as she would like, as her parents now fight all the time, but Cat and her cousin Sofia still enjoy getting books from the store. Sofia's grandmother is very strict, and forbids even the reading of Tarot cards, so frowns on Sofia's spells and herbal remedies. She would also not be happy to learn that Sofia has a crush on Jules, a girl at her new high school. Ana's parents have a restaurant near the bookstore, and Ana frequently has to help out watching her siblings, making sure her grandmother doesn't burn down the house, and pitching in to help with the family business. This is stressful and makes it hard for her to get her schoolwork done, so it's no surprise that she takes refuge in a treehouse in the family's yard. Mari loves to draw, which takes her mind off her mother's health problems, and the fact that her father lives far away. In between reading a wide array of books, which are listed at the end and include middle grade titles like Witchlings and Frizzy but are largely young adult and adult titles, the girls have lots of drama during their freshman year. Cat gets her period and tries out for drama club while dealing with the fact that her father might be having an affair, Ana meets up with Gabe in the treehouse, Sofia starts to hang out with Jules, who shares her love of nature and magic, and Mari finds out that she has a half brother, Noah, who starts to date Cat. Even though life is challenging, it is easier to navigate with good friends. And, of course, lots of literature!
Strengths: Nueva Rosita is an interesting setting, and I don't know that I've read a novel about a book club since Frederick's Mother-Daughter Book Club series. There is lots of Latine culture, with extended families, involved grandmothers, and lots of tasty treats. I had to look up a lot of Spanish words, but many of my students won't. This is a solidly upper middle grade book, and while there are plenty of serious teen problems, none of them are sensitive enough that a sixth grader couldn't read this book. The chapters alternate between the perspectives of the four girls, and Mari's chapters include cartoon panels, which graphic novel readers will enjoy.
Weaknesses: The cover makes the girls look a bit younger than I envisioned them, but as least does mention high school.
What I really think: This reminded me a little of Meriano's Love, Sugar, Magic mixed with Lopez's Lucky Luna and should be popular with fans of some of the books mentioned in the reading list!
The town of Nueva Rosita, New Mexico is the charming setting of this story about a slightly magical bookstore and the four girls who have a book club there. Milagro's Books is indeed the site of a miracle. When Cat was very young and her parents inherited the store, she wandered in and the whole store fell down around her, but she was safe. A piece of paper, an insurance policy, even wafted down into the wreckage, and the store was covered. Things aren't going as smoothly as she would like, as her parents now fight all the time, but Cat and her cousin Sofia still enjoy getting books from the store. Sofia's grandmother is very strict, and forbids even the reading of Tarot cards, so frowns on Sofia's spells and herbal remedies. She would also not be happy to learn that Sofia has a crush on Jules, a girl at her new high school. Ana's parents have a restaurant near the bookstore, and Ana frequently has to help out watching her siblings, making sure her grandmother doesn't burn down the house, and pitching in to help with the family business. This is stressful and makes it hard for her to get her schoolwork done, so it's no surprise that she takes refuge in a treehouse in the family's yard. Mari loves to draw, which takes her mind off her mother's health problems, and the fact that her father lives far away. In between reading a wide array of books, which are listed at the end and include middle grade titles like Witchlings and Frizzy but are largely young adult and adult titles, the girls have lots of drama during their freshman year. Cat gets her period and tries out for drama club while dealing with the fact that her father might be having an affair, Ana meets up with Gabe in the treehouse, Sofia starts to hang out with Jules, who shares her love of nature and magic, and Mari finds out that she has a half brother, Noah, who starts to date Cat. Even though life is challenging, it is easier to navigate with good friends. And, of course, lots of literature!
Strengths: Nueva Rosita is an interesting setting, and I don't know that I've read a novel about a book club since Frederick's Mother-Daughter Book Club series. There is lots of Latine culture, with extended families, involved grandmothers, and lots of tasty treats. I had to look up a lot of Spanish words, but many of my students won't. This is a solidly upper middle grade book, and while there are plenty of serious teen problems, none of them are sensitive enough that a sixth grader couldn't read this book. The chapters alternate between the perspectives of the four girls, and Mari's chapters include cartoon panels, which graphic novel readers will enjoy.
Weaknesses: The cover makes the girls look a bit younger than I envisioned them, but as least does mention high school.
What I really think: This reminded me a little of Meriano's Love, Sugar, Magic mixed with Lopez's Lucky Luna and should be popular with fans of some of the books mentioned in the reading list!
Displaying 1 of 1 review