Cover Reveal: Grow Up, Luchy Zapata

Today we’re thrilled to reveal the cover for Alexandra Alessandri’s new middle grade novel, Grow Up, Luchy Zapata, which releases on July 23, 2024 from Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Grow Up, Luchy Zapata is a funny, relatable middle school drama about two Colombian American girls who have always been BFFs—until sixth grade turns everything upside down.

About the book:
Luchy Zapata is starting sixth grade, and she’s muy excited. She and her two best friends, Cami and Mateo, will finally be at the same school. Luchy and Mateo will be in art class together, and she and Cami can try out for the same soccer team! As long as they’re all together, Luchy can handle anything.

But Cami has been acting weird ever since she got back from visiting family in Colombia. She’s making new, “cool” friends who just seem mean. And suddenly, everything about Luchy and Mateo is too immature for her.

Luchy is determined to help Cami remember how special their friendship is. They’ve
been BFFs their whole lives, and that can’t just disappear in a poof of glitter! But…what if Cami doesn’t even want to be friends anymore?

Illustration by Rose Bousamra; Design by Debra Sfetsios-Conover

From Alexandra: 
Rose Bousamra’s cover is epic! When I first saw it, I was blown away by all the details they included in the illustration, from Luchy’s leggings and soccer ball to Cami’s bracelets in Colombian colors to the stance and title between the two best friends.

And check out the full jacket cover!

Illustration by Rose Bousamra; Design by Debra Sfetsios-Conover

​It’s stunning! The mood and characters and setting of this story are captured beautifully in Rose’s art. I can’t wait to see the finished book–and I can’t wait for all of you to read this story of my heart, about art-loving, soccer-obsessed Luchy whose middle school dreams go up in a poof of glitter when her BFF returns from a summer in Colombia and ditches her for the cool kids, leaving Luchy to figure out who she is and where she belongs.

Where to preorder: You can preorder Grow Up, Luchy Zapata today wherever books are sold, including: 

Simon & Schuster

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

​You can also add Grow Up, Luchy Zapata to your want-to-read list on Goodreads!
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Alexandra Alessandri is the author of several books for children, including Feliz New Year, Ava Gabriela! (2020), Isabel and Her Colores Go to School (2021), and The Enchanted Life of Valentina Mejía (2023). Her books have gone on to receive numerous distinctions, including the Florida Book Award, International Latino Book Award, Américas Award Commendable Title, and the ILA 2022 Children’s and Young Adults’ Book Award in Primary Fiction.The daughter of Colombian immigrants, Alexandra is also an educator and a poet. She lives in Florida with her husband and son.

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For more about Alexandra and her books, visit http://alexandraalessandri.com or find her on Instagram or Twitter.

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