Tumble - by Celia C Pérez (Hardcover)

About the Book

Before she decides whether to accept her stepfather's proposal of adoption, twelve-year-old Adela Ramâirez reaches out to her estranged biological father--who is in the midst of a career comeback as a luchador--and the eccentric extended family of wrestlers she has never met, bringing Adela closer to understanding the expansive definition of family.

Book Synopsis

From the award-winning author of The First Rule of Punk and Strange Birds, a dazzling novel about a young girl who collects the missing pieces of her origin story from the family of legendary luchadores she's never met.

A 2023 Pura Belpré Author Honor Book

Twelve-year-old Adela "Addie" Ramírez has a big decision to make when her stepfather proposes adoption. Addie loves Alex, the only father figure she's ever known, but with a new half brother due in a few months and a big school theater performance on her mind, everything suddenly feels like it's moving too fast. She has a million questions, and the first is about the young man in the photo she found hidden away in her mother's things.

Addie's sleuthing takes her to a New Mexico ranch, and her world expands to include the legendary Bravos: Rosie and Pancho, her paternal grandparents and former professional wrestlers; Eva and Maggie, her older identical twin cousins who love to spar in and out of the ring; Uncle Mateo, whose lucha couture and advice are unmatched; and Manny, her biological father, who's in the midst of a career comeback. As luchadores, the Bravos's legacy is strong. But being part of a family is so much harder--it's about showing up, taking off your mask, and working through challenges together.

Review Quotes

Praise for Tumble by Celia C. Pérez:

A 2023 Pura Belpré Honor Award Winner
A Junior Library Guild selection
An NPR Best Book of 2022
A 2022 Horn Book Fanfare Selection
A BookPage Best Middle Grade Book of 2022
A Kirkus Reviews Best Middle Grade Book of 2022
A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book of 2022
A NYPL Best Book for Kids 2022
An Evanston Public Library 101 Great Book for Kids 2022
A Center for the Study of Multicultural Children's Literature Best Book of 2022
A Multnomah County Library Best Book of 2022
A 2023 Illinois Reads selection
A 2023 Texas Lone Star Reading List Selection
A 2023 Rise: A Feminist Book Project List Selection
An ALSC 2023 Notable Children's Book
A 2024 Georgia Children's Book Award Finalists
A 2023-24 Land of Enchantment Book Award Nominee
A Bank Street Best Books of 2023
A 2023 Reading the West Book Award Shortlist Selection
National Book Festival: New Mexico's Great Read 2023, Children's Category
A 2023 Judy Lopez Memorial Award Honor book
A 2024 Read Aloud Indiana List Selection
A 2023 MISelf in Books Masterlist (Michigan)

"Gripping, funny, and unique."
--Veera Hiranandani, Newbery Honor-winning author of The Night Diary

★ "A plucky, heartwarming tale that celebrates the complexity of family relationships."
--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "Humor and heartfelt emotion reign supreme."
--Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ "Very entertaining . . . Any child who also likes professional wrestling will eat this right up."
--School Library Connection, starred review

★ "A must-have for any library collection serving tweens."
--School Library Journal, starred review

★ "Adela loves mythology and draws parallels from it to wrestling's celebrity allure and peripatetic lifestyle...It all acts as an engaging backdrop to this story of family lost and found and of making amends."
--The Horn Book, starred review

★ "Tumble is a complex, emotional story about loss, self-discovery and belonging, about forgetting who you were and remembering who you are."
--BookPage, starred review

Select accolades and praise for Strange Birds
A 2020 Rise: A Feminist Book Project List Selection
A 2020 Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book of the Year
An ALSC 2020 Notable Children's Book

"'Strange Birds' respects its readers' intelligence and sophistication."
--Erika L. Sanchez, New York Times bestselling author of I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter for The New York Times Book Review

"Thought-provoking, timely, and laugh-out-loud funny."
--Aisha Saeed, New York Times bestselling author of Amal Unbound

"Strange Birds is an inspiring story about the power of truth, and of true friends."
--Rebecca Stead, New York Times bestselling author of the Newbery Medal winner When You Reach Me

★ "Writing with wry restraint that's reminiscent of Kate DiCamillo."
--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "Engaging, well-plotted."
--Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ "A perfect title for school and public libraries seeking realistic books about friendship."
--School Library Journal, starred review

★ "Perfect for preteens becoming aware that friendships can be complicated, and that the world is more so."
--The Horn Book, starred review

Select accolades and praise for The First Rule of Punk
A 2018 Pura Belpré Author Honor Book
A 2018 Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award Winner
A 2018 Boston Globe-Horn Book Fiction and Poetry Honor Book
An E.B. White Read-Aloud Middle Reader Award finalist

★ "Thoughtful."
--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "Those who enjoy vivacious, plucky heroines... will eagerly embrace Malú."
--School Library Journal, starred review

★ "A rowdy reminder that people are at their best when they aren't forced into neat, tidy boxes."
--Publishers Weekly, starred review

About the Author

Celia C. Pérez is the author of The First Rule of Punk, a 2018 Pura Belpré Author Honor Book; Strange Birds, a 2020 Rise: A Feminist Book Project List Selection; and Tumble, which received six starred reviews and is an NPR Best Book of 2022. She lives in Chicago with her family, where in addition to writing books about lovable weirdos and outsiders, she works as a librarian. When she was in middle school, she filled diaries with recaps of televised wrestling matches. Visit her at celiacperez.com.