Stella Díaz Never Gives Up

Stella Díaz #2

by Angela Dominguez

From award-winning author Angela Dominguez comes the novel Stella Díaz Never Gives Up, a story about a shy Mexican-American girl who becomes an environmental activist and makes a difference in her community.

Stella gets a big surprise when her mom plans a trip to visit their family in Mexico! Stella loves marine animals, and she can't wait to see the ocean for the first time . . . until she arrives and learns that the sea and its life forms are in danger due to pollution.

Stella wants to save the ocean, but she knows she can't do it alone. It's going to take a lot of work and help from old and new friends to make a difference, but Stella Díaz never gives up!

This is the second middle-grade novel from award-winning picture book author and illustrator Angela Dominguez. Based on the author's experiences growing up Mexican-American, this infectiously charming character comes to life through relatable story-telling including simple Spanish vocabulary and adorable black-and-white art throughout.

Genres: Realistic Fiction, Middle Grade, Childrens, Fiction, Juvenile, Latinx, Friendship

200 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 14, 2020

About the author

Angela Dominguez was born in Mexico City and grew up in the great state of Texas. She now resides on the east coast with her boyfriend, Kyle, and their petite dog, Petunia.

She is also the author and illustrator of several books for children and a two-time recipient of Pura Belpré Illustration Honor. Her debut middle grade novel, Stella Díaz Has Something To Say, was a New York Public Library and a Chicago Public Library pick for Best Books for Kids, Sid Fleischman Award winner, and an ALA Notable. She recently illustrated Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s newest picture book, Just Help! How to Build a Better World. When Angela is not in her studio or visiting schools, she teaches at the Academy of Art University, which honored her with their Distinguished Alumni Award in 2013.

Angela is a proud member of SCBWI, PEN America, and represented by Wernick and Pratt Literary Agency. As a child, she loved reading books and making a mess creating pictures. She’s delighted to still be doing both.

Reviews

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stella Diaz Never Gives Up by Angela Dominguez 194 pages. Roaring Brook Press, Macmillan, 2020. $17.

Content: G.

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

9yo Stella is looking forward to summer vacation. She has been accepted to be part of the week-long summer camp at the local aquarium in Chicago. But first, a family trip to Mexico where Stella gets her first swim in the ocean! Someday Stella would like to be marine biologist. Camp inspires her to do some research in the kid's section at the local library, and Stella discovers that plastic is a huge problem for our oceans and its wildlife. Maybe Stella and her friends can come up with ideas to make a difference.

A lovely environmentally conscious elementary read. Stella is a delightful protagonist -- worried about meeting new friends, being shy and making a difference. I looked into getting reusable straws after hearing Stella and her friends ideas. Angela Dominguez has two Pura Belpre honors for picture books and has illustrated this as well. The 2nd in a series, (Stella Diaz has Something to Say) stands alone though, but get both - I expect the series to be well-liked.

Lisa Librarian

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t love it as much as the previous book.
Stella is still very likable. She still struggles to find her voice, but in this story she finds a cause that she cares about.

I do think the save the oceans stuff was a little too didactic. I think kids already know a lot of what is being shared (but maybe I’m wrong). But I do like how she and her friends found ways to do their small part.

I would definitely recommend this book, and I love the way the author incorporates Spanish words and Mexican culture. And I love the Chicago angle, of course.

[Lanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stella's story is an inspiring one for young readers. Stella grows into a leader and shows her passion for conservation and finds ways to come together with others to make a bigger impact. Excited to share this with future students

[Jessica Lopez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love diving into the world of Stella Diaz! A fun read, especially if you love learning about marine life. The book includes fun facts about marine animals and ocean stewardship.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

9 yo Stella is looking forward to summer vacation. She has been accepted to be part of the week-long summer camp at the local aquarium in Chicago. But first, a family trip to Mexico where Stella gets her first swim in the ocean! Someday Stella would like to be marine biologist. Camp inspires her to do some research in the kid's section at the local library, and Stella discovers that plastic is a huge problem for our oceans and its wildlife. Maybe Stella and her friends can come up with ideas to make a difference.

A lovely environmentally conscious elementary read. Stella is a delightful protagonist -- worried about meeting new friends, being shy and making a difference. I looked into getting reusable straws after hearing Stella and her friends ideas. Angela Dominguez has two Pura Belpre honors for picture books and has illustrated this as well. The 2nd in a series, (Stella Diaz has Something to Say) stands alone though, but get both - I expect the series to be well-liked.

FOr this and more of my reviews, visit http://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Following up on the success of her earlier book featuring the same protagonist, Stella Diaz Has Something to Say, the author continues to develop her character as Stella becomes concerned about the condition of the world's oceans, filled with plastic, and decides to do something about it. She faces several hurdles as she tries to enlist her friends in her project. While I liked the environmental focus here, there are other aspects of the book that recommend it for readers: the Spanish phrases sprinkled in its pages, Stella's anxiety about not being able to communicate well in Spanish when her mother takes her to Mexico, and her annoyance with her friend Jennie for not being swept up as quickly as she is with trying to change the world. As Stella tackles her fears about going into the ocean, many young readers will be able to relate. Maybe they, too, will become determined to never give up, no matter how hard the struggle. Like many teachers, I'm always on the hunt for books like this featuring youngsters who want to make a difference in the world around them.

[Michele Knott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stella's new project involves doing something around her passion - which she has discovered is saving marine animals! When she's older she wants to be a marine biologist, but in the meantime, she's figuring out what she can do now. After a visit to the Pacific Ocean when visiting her family in Mexico, and then going to a week long camp at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Stella is determined to figure out how she can help save the oceans. With help from new and old friends, and even from her brother - who seems to have no time for Stella now that he's a teenager - Stella learns about ways we can help reduce our plastic use that will make a big impact on ocean life.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book two about Stella.
Stella is passionate about saving the ocean and the animals who live there. She also is learning to adjust to her older brother being a teenager and the idea the friends can have different interests and still be connected.
Their vacation to see family in Mexico helps her build confidence yet readers see her challenges too (learning to speak Spanish, making more friends).
Dominguez creates characters upper elementary readers will relate to. The situations seem real though perhaps not what they experience.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 2 in series (but was fine not to have read the first)
It's summer vacation and Stella is a little bored. Her friend Stanley is at space camp while her friend Jenny is busy with her dance classes. Stella is very passionate about the ocean and conservation. She wants to help save the earth but doesn't know where to start. This story is about family, friendship, and saving the planet. There are Spanish phrases scattered throughout but almost always immediately followed by the English translation. It's sweet and lovely. Great for grades 3-5.

[Artemisa Perucho-Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the call to action for kids who want to make a positive difference in the world! The characters are relatable and model building and keeping solid, healthy friendships. The only thing that bugged me a bit were the Spanish errors. My daughter felt the same way. I’m not sure whether they were there for “effect”, but I would’ve appreciated a Spanish-speaking editor to have given the book a look before publishing!

[Mary Louise Sanchez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young readers who are ready for short chapters books will enjoy meeting Stella Diaz and seeing her plans in action to save marine life; deal with her teenaged brother; and her friend who has different interests than Stella now.

[Jennybeast · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really great -- sweet family story, and Stella's enthusiasm for ocean conservation is quite inspiring. Nice family dynamics, single mom with 2 kids and dad at distance. Mexican Americans, nice bilingual mix into the story.

[Susan Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful realistic narrative does 2-3 grade. Stella’s love for the ocean will resonate with many as will her hesitance in new situations and with new people. For teachers, excerpts from the chapters could serve a saml moment mentors.

[Jan]

Mexican

[Jenny Morrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these books! So adorable!

[Karen McKenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I might love this second book even more than the first. I can't wait to read this with my 3rd grade class next year.

[Sarah Krajewski · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 3rd and 5th grader loved connecting with Stella again.

[Eileen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the first Stella book so was so excited to dive into the second, but it was a big disappointment.

What it did well: the looks into Mexican and Vietnamese culture were still great, and Stella continued to grow in overcoming her shyness. I also enjoyed the presentation of Stella's brother getting older and their relationship changing, but him still loving her, and Stella's relationship with her mom is realistic and lovely.

What it did poorly: It very much sold the idea that the main thing needed to cure the ocean being in crisis (something repeatedly emphasized with much urgency) was for individuals to change their habits (rather than big companies being regulated; that entire narrative of individual responsibility for conservation came from the big corporations that don't want to change so they put the onus elsewhere, and this book pushed it hard). These changes were presented as very black and white, in the framework that if you were a good person of course you'd take the easy steps of not using any plastic bags, straws, etc. It also was very negative in it's presentation; when the kids would correct each other they'd say, "No, you can't do that! That would create plastic waste!" with the kid reacting by feeling guilty instead of, "Is there an alternative we could use that wouldn't create plastic waste?" with a reaction of empowerment and looking for opportunities. This kind of black and white, overly simplistic, all or nothing thinking is not only ableist (as a disabled family I had to talk to my kids and reassure them that they weren't bad people for using plastic as we need), it is the kind of thinking that burns kids out and turns them off conservation, because they learn before long things aren't as simple as presented and thus usually give up because constantly failing at perfection is too hard to face. Conversation is a marathon, not a sprint, and this book encourages kids to sprint, which is unsustainable.

There was so much potential here, and I'm very disappointed.

A4 R5 K5

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Angela Dominguez's #ownvoices Stella Diaz series is warm, relatable, realistic and wonderful. In this second installment, Stella is wondering if her summer before 4th grade is going to be one long bore when, after only a few days of searching for things to fill her time, mom announces a trip to see Tia Maria in Mexico and a letter arrives informing Stella that she has been accepted at the Shedd Aquarium's camp for grades 3-5. Dominguez includes great descriptions of food and sites in Mexico as well as information on the very real aquarium in downtown Chicago. With Stella's good friend Stanley at Space Camp in Houston, TX, there are also opportunities for readers to learn a bit about that area of the United States as well as a bit about another awesome camp. Throughout "Never Gives Up," Stella works her way through true to life scenarios including an older brother who is changing a little too fast as he heads into high school, a best friend whose interest in dance does not quite line up with her own passion for ocean conservation, and the struggle to speak up confidently. Dominguez is skilled at weaving Spanish into the dialogue with such rich context that even English-only readers will have no trouble understanding the conversations and may even pick up a little of the language. Target audience for the Stella books is likely focused on 3rd and 4th graders, but many on either side of the group will find much to like about this continuing series and maybe some of those readers will find a cause that they are as passionate about as Stella is about the ocean and will learn from her efforts and also launch successful projects to support that cause.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This upbeat and well-written junior novel stars Stella Diaz, a nine-year-old Mexican-American girl who finds her voice in her passion for protecting the ocean and sea life. She navigates the typical childhood friendship and sibling dramas with realistic reactions as she attends a conservation-themed summer camp and brainstorms ways to start a campaign to clean up the ocean.

STELLA DIAZ NEVER GIVES UP would make an ideal classroom read. Not only is it full of prosocial values and relatable for many kids, there are also a lot of Spanish vocabulary words and phrases woven throughout the text.

There is a lot of good information about plastic and its impact on ocean life. Stella circulates a pledge to avoid single-use plastic bags and straws, and it's highly likely that young readers will also think about alternatives to these wasteful products when they close the cover. (Making reusable bags could be a great tie-in craft project with this book!)

However, it is worth noting that while plastic straws have become infamous and are certainly a problem, by far the largest source of dangerous plastic litter in the ocean is lost and discarded commercial fishing equipment. Unfortunately, the dietary aspect of saving the oceans in not addressed at all in this story. I wish we could have seen something about not eating sea life on Stella's pledge sheet, or even if a character could have at least mentioned this important step in the story.

[Kaleria · Rating 4 out of 5]

While it was slow to start - the first chapters felt we were just introducing characters for the sake of meeting them, not to further the plot - it did pick up and I became quite fond of Stella and her family.

It’s a Guided Reading Level Q (beginning of 4th grade) and would be a valuable book for readers learning how to use context clues to understand unknown words. It would also go well with environmental science units and community action as the plot revolves around ways kids can help save the oceans.

HOWEVER, I think the book missed the mark when it failed to extend Stella’s understanding of environmental solutions to larger government/business/institutional change.

I was a lot like Stella as a child, I was extremely concerned about the Earth and pollution, yet the only solutions proposed to me as a youth were personal solutions - don’t buy plastic, don’t eat meat, turn off the lights, etc. But as the enormity of the crisis became more and more clear as I continued to learn (like Stella does) I became incredibly disillusioned about our ability to help the earth because it was obvious that twenty, fifty, even a thousand people not using straws won’t be enough to save the oceans. I wish that the author offered readers the idea of policy change *in addition* to individual action, because I think that understanding of large scale solutions is critical to continuing to have hope and motivation for activism.

[Corina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is great, but this book didn’t always hold both of my kids’ attention (hence the 4 stars). There are some Spanish words mixed throughout along with some cultural tidbits. It was always interesting to see how the author would explain the meanings of the words without straight up defining them. There are some good messages about conservation throughout, which I hope my kids learned from. There’s also some healthy social-emotional messages as Stella navigates her friendships and her own anxieties about her Spanish-language skills. I was happy to find these books about a shy girl pushing herself beyond her boundaries to share with my child with similar tendencies. Definitely recommend.

[Chloe (Always Booked) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This one wasn't as good as the first, but I still really liked it. In this book, Stella is having kind of a boring summer. Her brother has a job, Jenny's in dance camp, Stanley's back in Texas (I think) and she's just at home solo. Her mom says she can go to a camp at Shedd Aquarium and she's SO excited. She learns about ocean conservation and that becomes her platform. She is passionate about getting everyone on board and starting a club to reduce plastic use. She also meets a new friend who is Puerto Rican and speaks Spanish. Again, her Spanish is not really up to snuff but she hopes to learn more. Overall, it was super cute.

[Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is probably one of my favorite books. I think this because Stella is trying to do a good deed for the ocean sea life by cleaning up trash on beach shores, creates a club to raise money to help save the ocean, recycles or doesn't use plastic, and goes to a day camp where they learn and try to help save sea life. I also like how behind all that she talks about her personal problems at home as well and how she is going to fix them, I always like to know what the characters life is at home or in their personal space. So I hope you love this book as much as I do!

[Nate Hipple · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is really sweet and has its heart in the right place. It just feels like the Madlib Angela did on The Office. Everyone is nice. None of the characters have any depth to them beyond being mouthpieces for aquatic facts and tips on how to help the environment, with the exception of Stella and her struggle with the Spanish language, which did add an interesting dimension. It’s hard not to want more from this book, but as it stands it’s just “nice.”

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stella's summer vacation is full of learning and life lessons:
- learn how to be a good friend; show interest in your friend's interests.
- learn how to reduce plastic so that it will not eventually contaminate the seas.
- learn how to make new friends.
- continue learning Spanish.

This adorable chapter book is wonderful for pleasure reading as well as inclusion in classroom units that cover the world and our place in it.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great message well-delivered about the difference one person can make: for the environment or just to one other person. Also loved the parts where Stella doesn't feel comfortable because she doesn't know Spanish, and when her feelings are hurt when she overhears her brother's comments about her. Very true to life.

[Simba Saurus · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s okay. It isn’t as good as the first. The ocean message didn’t really make me want to be more into saving the ocean( not that I don’t want to). It wasn’t very powerful. I thought she became more confident and less shy from the last book but she seems the same. This was an okay book. You can read it but, there is nothing special.

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do enjoy relaxing occasionally with a middle grade book …this is a stressful time with lots of errands and details ..and horrible news. So I’m hoping to start the 3rd book tonight! I’m reliving some of my early days, too, as many of Stella’s challenges as she is growing up are familiar to all of us!

[Karin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this book back up to finish it and was reminded what a sweet story it is/was. Based on some of the authors own childhood experiences, and full of charming line drawings, the book also carries a strong, positive conservation message.