September 5, 2022
Andréa Hernández-Baldoquín, 14, is on her first lead mission as a full agent of the Factory, a government-unaffiliated “international intelligence organization that serves people of color,” for which she, her Mexican father, Puerto Rican mother, and brother are all spies. Undercover in Carson, Ariz., Andréa, passing as white “ANN-drea” with only her mother as backup, must befriend Kyle Summer, the estranged son of a white supremacist threatening a “localized Armageddon.” Getting close to Kyle means not only withstanding inclusion in a clique of classmates who call themselves “First Class,” but also learning the ins and outs of Kyle’s favorite fantasy card game and spending time with his cute Latino best friend, Ramón Santiago. As reinforcements arrive in the form of a second teenage agent, Andréa struggles to juggle the case, her budding feelings for Ramón, and maintaining her cover as white. Portraying Andréa as a spy skilled in espionage, quick problem-solving, and making visual connections, De León (A Spy in the Struggle, for adults) adeptly interrogates themes of ageism, colorism, institutional racism, and sexism, layering them with a thrilling tale of a teenage girl. Ages 10–14. Agent: Jenni Ferrari-Adler, Union Literary.
January 1, 2023
Gr 5 Up-The Hern�ndez-Baldoqu�n parents have been working for the Factory-"an international intelligence organization that serves people of color"-as spies for 20 years; now the whole family is involved. At 14, daughter Andr�a is assigned her first major mission: to stop a white supremacist attack by getting close to the suspected perpetrator's estranged son Kyle. To do so, she must sublimate her Mexican/Puerto Rican identity and become ANN-drea Burke, a white high school student in Phoenix, AZ. An unexpected complication arises when Kyle's Latinx best friend proves to be irresistible. De Le�n's impressive middle grade debut gets marvelously paired with Mexican American actor Villarreal whose characterizations effortlessly range from sublime to rollicking. De Le�n reads her ending author's note, vulnerably sharing her own identity journey. VERDICT De Le�n expertly threads her addictive thriller with confrontations about race, privilege, and advocacy; Villareal ensures such tough conversations are well heard.
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