Party Girl by Lynne Ewing

• ISBN: 978-0375802102
• Plot summary: Kata and Ana light up the stage when they dance together. Resigned to "the life" of gang allegiance, the girls escape within the music and find a place higher than the life of violence the know too well living in LA. Now that Ana's gone, Kata doesn't know what she will do. She wants to avenge Ana's death at the hands of a rival gang member, but she's conflicted about her involvement with her gang now that Ana's life has been taken. Utterly lost and no longer comfortable with being around her homies, Kata's mother suddenly gets sober and tries to be there for her daughter. Even with the support, Kata doesn't know how she can get out the life--the has nothing else going for. Will she ever be able to escape the gang life that runs her life?
• Critical evaluation: Kata's struggle to find a life for herself after the death of her best friend is heartbreaking to watch. Life in the gang is not the same without Ana, but she doesn't know who she would be without it. She's not smart like Ana was, and she doesn't want to get pregnant with someone's child just to get out of the gang and collect welfare. The serious decisions she must make in the wake of Ana's death are more than any young teenager should have to bear, yet Kata wanders her streets looking for answers. In a vision, she sees herself in the future wishing she could go back and change her life, and as she makes the decision to get out of her gang, she is visited by Ana in her dreams who also approves of her decision. The feeling of relief Kata feels is felt by the reader as well.
• Reader's annotation: It's lonely without Ana in Kata's world, especially now that she doesn't fit in with her gang either.
• About the author: Lynne Ewing lives in Los Angeles. Her first YA novel, Drive-By, was an ALA Quick Pick.
• Genre: Urban fiction
• Curriculum ties, if any: None
• Booktalking ideas:
• Have you ever felt lost in your own group of friends after a serious life change?
• Reading level/interest age: 14+
• Challenge issues: Violence, substance usage, sexuality
• Why was this item included? I wanted to represent Latina YA in my list.