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.
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.
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.
Praise for TUMBLE By Celia C. Pérez:
“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
★ "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
368pp.
“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
★ "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
368pp.
Publication Date: August 16, 2022