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Canto Contigo
Mexican American Rafie fully expects to be appointed lead vocalist of Todos Colores, the mostly queer mariachi group at his new high school in San Antonio. After all, Rafie led his former group to victory over Todos Colores at the Extravaganza Nacional competition two years in a row. But when he auditions, Rafie’s extreme arrogance is off-putting to the maestra, who assigns Rafie backup to their current lead singer, Rey—a trans, Afro-Mexican American boy Rafie made out with at Extravaganza last year. Rafie is outraged and worried that, if he’s not the star of the show, he won’t be able to uphold his beloved late abuelo’s mariachi legacy. When Rey messes up their first competition, Rafie doesn’t hesitate to jump in, leading to a minor performance disaster but also to the discovery that their voices complement each other beautifully. For his part, Rey is struggling to square his first impression of Rafie, who had been so kind to him when they met, with the rude (yet attractive) boy in front of him now. Rafie will have to learn to set his ego and insecurities aside, making way for his grief over his abuelo’s death and for the talent of his fellow mariachi group members, if he wants a chance at winning Extravaganza—and Rey’s heart. Bursting with colorful details of lively mariachi performance, this novel centering queer Latine teens offers flawed characters who are passionate about their music and one another. ©2024 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 14 and older
Age Range:
Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Format:
Novel
Subjects:
Afro-Latine People
Competitions and Contests
Competitiveness
Gays
Grandfathers
Grief and Loss
Love and Romance
Mexicans and Mexican Americans
Music and Musicians
Transgender People
Diversity subjects:
Black/African
Latine
LGBTQ Character/Topic
Publishers:
St. Martin's, Wednesday Books
Publish Year: 2024
Pages: 352
ISBN: 9781250875754
CCBC Location: Fiction, Villa