Olor a Perfume de Viejita: (The Smell of Old Lady Perfume) - Paperback

by Claudia Guadalupe Martínez (Author), Luis Humberto Crosthwaite (Translator)

En esta clásica historia sobre la mayoría de edad, Chela enfrenta los desafíos del sexto grado luego de perder a su padre, su mujer amigo.

In this classic coming-of-age story, Chela faces the challenges of sixth grade after losing her father, her very best friend.

La novela para jovenes de Claudia Martínez es una historia agridulce sobre la muerte, familia, y la resistencia de la fuerza emocional del corazón. Chela Gonzalez, la narradora del libro, es una nerd y futbolista que apenas puede contener su emoción de empezar el sexto grado. Pero nada es como se lo había imaginado -- su mejor amiga la deja para juntarse con las niñas populares y ellas todas hacen como si no existe Chela. Ella se enfoca en tarea y el consuelo de su familia. Para Chela, su familia es como el sistema solar, con su papá el sol y su mamá, hermanos, y hermana como planetas rodeando alrededor de el. Es el único universo en el que ella encaja.

Pero ese universo es amenazado cuando su papá sufré de un derrame cerebral. La abuela de Chela se viene a vivir con ellos para ayudarles. El olor a perfume de viejita invade la casa. El olor es peor que los domingos. Los domingos eran tristes, pero siempre pasaban, la muerte es otra cosa completa. Chela no entiende es lo que todos están esperando. Entre su tristeza, preocupación, y el olor a perfume de viejita, Chela empieza a descubrirse a si misma, y encuentra su propia fuerza.

Chela Gonzalez is a nerd and a soccer player who can barely contain her excitement about beginning 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 she doesn't exist. Chela buries herself in schoolwork and the warm comfort of her family. To Chela, her family is a solar system with her father the sun and her mother, brothers, and sister like planets rotating around him. It's the only universe in which she fits in.

But this universe is threatened when her father has a stroke. Chela's grandmother moves in to help the family, and the smell of her old lady perfume invades the house. The smell is like Sundays, sad, but sure to pass. Death, however, is a whole other thing, and Chela doesn't realize it's what everyone is waiting for. Can Chela find her strength amidst her grief and worry and the smell of old lady perfume?

A bittersweet story about death, family, and the resilient emotional strength of the human heart.

Author Biography

Claudia Guadalupe Martínez learned that letters form words from reading the subtitles of old westerns with her father in El Paso, Texas. She is the author of several books, including Still Dreaming, a Pura Belpré Honor. Her work has received two Texas Institute of Letter Young Adults Book Awards, a Paterson Prize for Books for young people, two Americas Award Commendations, two Junior Library Guild Awards, and multiple starred reviews. Claudia now lives near Chicago with her husband, kids, and pets.

Luis Humberto Crosthwaite was born in Tijuana, Mexico. A journalist and jefe at a small press called Yoremito, he has also worked on a number of highly acclaimed translations such as Olor a perfume de viejita and Still Dreaming/Seguimos Soñando. Whoever looks into his heart would see the Pacific Ocean--ah, those beautiful sunsets! He lives with his family in the same town that he was born.