The Smell of Old Lady Perfume

By Claudia Guadalupe Martínez
Paperback: $9.95

Chela faces the challenges of the sixth grade after losing her best friend: her dad.

Front cover for Olor a perfume de viejita by Claudia Guadalupe Martínez; Luis Humberto Crosthwaite
This book is also available in Spanish
Olor a perfume de viejita
By Claudia Guadalupe Martínez, Luis Humberto Crosthwaite

Description

Claudia Guadalupe Martinez’s debut novel for young adults is a bittersweet story about death, family, and the resilient emotional strength of the human heart. Chela Gonzalez, the book’s narrator, is a nerd and a soccer player who can barely contain her excitement about starting the sixth grade. But nothing is as she imagined–her best friend turns on her to join the popular girls and they all act like Chela doesn’t exist. She buries herself in schoolwork and in the warm comfort of her family. To Chela, her family is like a solar system, with her father the sun and her mother, brothers, and sister like planets rotating all around him. It’s a small world, but it’s the only one she fits in.

But that universe is threatened when her strong father has a stroke. Chela’s grandmother moves in to help the family. The smell of her old lady perfume invades the house. That smell is worse than Sundays. Sundays were sad, but they went just as sure as they came. Death was a whole other thing, and Chela doesn’t understand that’s what everyone is waiting for. In her grief and worry, Chela begins to discover herself and find her own strength.

About the Creators

Claudia Guadalupe Martínez

Claudia Guadalupe Martínez has called Mexico and the US home. Her core childhood memories are set in El Paso, Texas. This dynamic of growing up between borders inspires her writing. She is the recipient of two Texas Institute of Letters Best Young Adult Book Awards, a Paterson Prize for Books for Young People, an Américas Award Commendation, a Junior Library Guild Award, and multiple starred reviews. She now lives with her family in Illinois. You can find her at claudiaguadalupemartinez.com.

Awards

  • Américas Award

    Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs

  • Jean Flynn Award for Best Young Adult Book

    Texas Institute of Letters (TIL)

  • Best of the Best Books

    Chicago Public Library

  • Southwest Books of the Year

    Pima County Public Library

Reviews

  • "Readers will also 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."

    - Booklist
  • "A touching story that will teach lessons on loss, family, loneliness, and the importance of being oneself. . . The novel's easy language reads like genuine narration from a sixth grader and complements the story's complex themes."

    - Foreword Reviews
  • "This is a sweet coming-of-age story, telling of the cruelties of children toward one another and dealing with the loss of a parent. The story should appeal to readers dealing with their own tween years."

    - School Library Journal

Paperback

  • ISBN 9781933693880
  • Publication Date May 24, 2011
  • Trim Size 7 × 5 in
  • Weight 0.4375 lbs
  • Page Count 256
  • Interests

  • Audience Middle Grade
  • BISAC Category 1 JUV / Girls & Women
  • BISAC Category 2 JUV / People & Places / United States / Hispanic & Latino
  • BISAC Category 3 JUV / Social Themes / Adolescence & Coming of Age
  • Themes Coping with Death, Families, Fathers, Fiction, Friendship, Grandparents, Latinx / Latino / Hispanic, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction
  • Reading Levels

  • Age Range Ages 11 - 13
  • Grade Range Grades 6 - 8
  • Guided Reading U
  • Spanish Guided Reading U
  • ATOS Book Level 5
  • DRA 44
  • Interest Level Grades 4 - 8
  • Lexile Level 730
  • Reading Level Grades 8 - College
  • Bebop Reading Fluent
  • This Book is Included in These Collections:

    • 67
      Authentic Spanish List
      Collection of 67 books: $1,045.65

      68 in stock

    • 13
      English Guided Reading Level U
      Collection of 13 books: $158.35

      231 in stock

    • 202
      Fluent English
      Collection of 202 books: $2,450.80