Raised by her single mom in a struggling California neighborhood, Angel Rodriguez is a headstrong, independent young woman who channels her hopes and dreams for the future into her painting. But when her entry for a community mural doesn’t rate, she’s heartbroken. Even with winning artist Nathan Ramos taking a sudden interest in Angel and her art, she’s angry and hurt. She’s determined to find her own place in the art world, her own way.
That’s when Miguel Badalin opens her eyes to an underground world of graf tags and turf wars. Soon she’s running with Miguel’s crew, pushing her skills to the limit and beginning to emerge as the artist she always dreamed she could be. But Nathan and Miguel are bitter enemies with a shared past, and choosing between them and their wildly different approaches to life and art means that Angel must decide what matters most before the artist inside of her can truly break free.
#Contemporary #Art #Multicultural #Diversity #Graffiti #Youngadult
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“With characters as bold and exciting as the art they love, and an honesty that keeps them raw and real, Graffiti Girl shows us that the only thing better than discovering your talent is finding yourself along the way.”
“This book blew me away. Kelly Parra writes with the keen eye of an artist. Graffiti Girl is warm, gutsy, and true-to-life — an unflinching, honest portrayal of young adults. A seamless and impressive debut.”
“I finished GRAFFITI GIRL the other day and it was AWESOME! It was exciting and romantic, and Angel is a strong heroine any girl can relate to. I’m already looking forward to your next one… ”
“Angel reminded me of myself as a young girl writing in California. Kelly, felicidades on your first novel, it’s great to see Latinas writing positive novels about subjects that young people can relate to. I felt you weaved Angel’s personal journey as a writer and growing young women with humor, realness and craft.”
“‘Graffiti’ a strong debut novel for teens…Five out of five gold pens for ‘Graffiti Girl.'”
“There is only one word that can describe this book, and that word is ‘Amazing’. This book could have come from the diary of a teenage girl. With realistic situations and lifelike characters who seem like they could jump off the page, the plot could have been based on true events. Everyone should read this book.”
Published : May 2007
ISBN : 141653461X
Publisher : MTV/Gallery Books
Ages : 12 +
- Recommended by the The California Latino Legislative Caucus for Reading Education
- Nominated for the Tomas Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award
- Chosen for the California Readers 2009 High School Reading Collection
- 2008 RWA Double RITA finalist for Best First Novel & Young Adult Novel
- Selected by the National Book Foundation for the “BookUp NYC” program
- Latinidad 2007 Best Latino Young Adult Book Pick
- Selected by a VIT (Very Important Teen) as a page-turning read in TEEN magazine (Winter 2008)
After I signed with my first agent, I told her I had an idea for a Latina young adult novel based on a girl exploring graffiti art. I was a teen artist in high school, who explored all sorts of mediums of art and had friends who showed me the wonders of urban street art.
My agent said to run with the idea and I wrote the first six chapters. It eventually sold to MTV Books, a line with Pocket Books/Simon & Schuster. I was thrilled but I had to finish the book in six months and I did.
I always have to state that this book is a work of fiction and is not based on my life or my experience as a teen graffiti artist, however, every story I write has little details I pluck from life. It could be a characteristic of a person or place or based on something I have witnessed. Then I expand on these details in my stories and create new characters and settings. That is what is fun about writing!
- “Badalin was like the Fear Factor: Evidently attending class isn’t a factor for you.”
- “The look reminded me of when he was so focused on artwork. And to have that much attention on me was like having a hundred butterflies under my skin.”
- “Would I break the law? Deface this rich neighborhood park to become a graf writer? Or would I forever live in my own personal toy land?”