Lupe Wong Won’t Dance by Donna Barba Higuera

The Hook:

Lupe Wong is certain she will be a Major League Baseball player—she’s THAT good. But for now, she must get straight As so she can meet her favorite baseball player. Fu Li Hernandez—he’s Hispanic and Chinese just like her. The problem is the curriculum in PE has scheduled a square-dancing unit and Lupe...Well, Lupe will not dance! She absolutely refuses. Square-dancing is ridiculous and certainly not worthy of her time. Why they should be practicing baseball in P.E. That is a REAL sport. Lupe is always willing to fight for a cause and she is determined to cancel what she sees as an outdated tradition. Why do they have to learn how to square dance? Does anyone ever square dance anymore? Unfortunately, in her quest to ban square dancing she alienates her two best friends—and really the rest of the class too. Everyone is mad at Lupe. Lupe is going to have to re-think how to go about things and what she genuinely wants to accomplish. For a laugh out-loud book, you must read Lupe Wong Won’t Dance. 

This book is in our library. It is also in Sora and Axis 360 as an eBook and audio book. It is 9 AR points. 

My Thoughts and Recommendations (Careful! There May Be Spoilers): 

Lupe is a strong and at-times stubborn protagonist. She is very well-written, and readers will connect to her internal voice and empathize with her setbacks. With wisecracking humor, Lupe deals with mean girls and realistic middle school friendship fallout. This is a fun read with sports, friendship, and an appreciation of diverse cultures. 4.2 stars. I recommend this to students in 5th-7th grades.