Undercover Latina, Aya de León's debut novel for young readers, is just like its main character: On the outside, she's just a normal teenage girl, but there's so much more to dig into. The book's story is full of action and spine-tingling situations. But if you go a little deeper, both Andréa, the protagonist, and the book are much more than meets the eye. Andréa is a spy and the book is a story that brings political and race issues to the forefront in such a way that you don't even know you're being schooled while being entertained.
This is why Undercover Latina is such a great read. Aya de León weaves a story full of nail-biting action, set against the realities of modern America: Andréa and her family are part of a covert network of spies that work for the Factory. Their mission? To protect people of color across the world from racism.
The book has so much great action.
From the first page to the last page of the first chapter, we know we're in for a ride with Andréa Hernández-Baldoquín and her family. The entire family works for The Factory, trying to defeat racism and crime toward people of color throughout the world. What a fantastic concept.
Andréa is your typical teenage girl.
Besides the fact that she is called to her first solo assignment in the beginning of the book, the 15-year-old is just a normal teen. She loves her parents, loves her Puerto Rican-Mexican identity, and also loves the spy work that she does. She's nervous to have to move to Arizona and befriend an awkward teen boy, attend high school (she's normally home-schooled), and, well, bring down a white supremacist terrorist cell. But it's not the target of her investigation that she ends up falling for, but his Latino best friend. Teen drama ensues, mostly around Andréa's own ambivalence toward liking this boy who is just a collateral piece of her covert operation.
But not everything is as it seems…
Like any great spy mystery, this book has some unexpected twists and turns. Andréa is chosen because she can "pass" as white. And just like that, De León drops another deep race and colorism issue in the middle of a scene where Andréa is learning about her assignment. As she delves deeper into the world of her new friends and school, Andréa has to navigate not only having to pretend to be white — and everything that that entails, like not letting her fluent Spanish and love all Latin food slip by accident! — but also some intense moments where she realizes things aren't always what they seem.
Get your hands on 'Undercover Latina' now.
Whether it's for your teenager or even for you, this book is a great read. Plus, there's a whole Latino-themed game, Triángulo, that is so meticulously described and woven throughout the story, I wish they'd make the game IRL! The author, Aya de León, is a renowned fiction writer, having written other spy novels that mix racial justice with her art, like the critically acclaimed A Spy in the Struggle. Undercover Latina is along the same vein, but geared a little bit younger — with some deep metaphors, fun action, and tons of great conversation starters for young adults.
Get your copy of Undercover Latina by Aya de León today!
