Confetti Girl - Hardcover

Diana (pronounced DEE-ANNA) López is a native of Corpus Christi, Texas. Her adult novel, Sofia's Saints, was published by Bilingual Review Press in 2002, and she is a contributing author to Hecho en Tejas: An Anthology of Texas Mexican Literature. Other works include short stories published in Chicago Quarterly Review, The Sycamore Review, and New Texas. She now teaches English at St. Philip's College in San Antonio. This is her first middle grade novel.

"Employing lovely metaphors and realistic dialogue, adult author López (Sofia's Saints) delicately displays the power of optimism and innovation during difficult times."―Publishers Weekly

"An appealing coming-of-age novel...Local idioms of Spanish proverbs -- dichos -- used as chapter headings enlighten both characters and readers."―Kirkus Reviews

"López effectively portrays the Texas setting and the characters' Latino heritage....This debut novel puts at its center a likable girl facing realistic problems on her own terms."―Booklist

"Like the colorful cascarones López writes about, Confetti Girl is bursting with heartwarming cheer."―Grace Lin, author of The Year of the Dog

"A great set of characters and a fantastic story: the dichos, sayings or adages meant to shed some light on a situation, to teach a lesson, to encourage wisdom. If that's the case, then here's mine for this wonderful novel: Un libro sin abrir es una vida sin sabor (A book unread is a life unlived). So, live this book. Live its humor, its sadness, and ultimately its great joy."―René Saldaña, Jr., author of The Whole Sky Full of Stars, Finding Our Way, and The Jumping Tree

"Although Confetti Girl takes on a serious subject matter, it's also about fun, a whole semester's worth, which includes confrontations with the school's most popular boy, a school festival, volleyball, friendship, boy craziness, a quinceañera and trips to the beach - and the counselor's office."―San Antonio Express-News

"López weaves Lina's bilingual and bicultural upbringing into the narrative seamlessly, giving young Latina readers an added element to connect with."―El Paso Times

"Like a cascaron, Lina's life is full of colorful people and events, and you will want to read about every single one of them in this witty, honest novel."―Kid Reporter Claire Epting, TIME for Kids , "Summer Splash" 2009