I like that it brought out cultural awareness to the minds of the school and community. It was kind of a strange thing to be against. Square dancing. The narrator was good and pleasant to listen to. Many middle graders will enjoy this! I rounded up my 3.5 score to an even 4.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher/producer for the early release audio version of the book.

Kyla Garcia narrates this gem of a story with humor and exactly the right amount of snark to capture Lupe's personality. This is such a fun and heartwarming story about standing up for yourself, speaking out, and being true to yourself. Lupe is a character you can't help but cheer for, even when she is at her lowest points. This is such a beautiful and funny story that readers will love! Recommended for ages 10+. Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook.

Lupe Wong was a whip smart middle grade novel. It truly had something for everyone. The first line of the book will be an easy sell for many readers!

“Sometimes people want us to be something we are not, instead of seeing who we really are. You are many things. You are Chinese. You are Latina.”
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Lupe Wong’s got goals. She wants to be the first female pitcher for the Major Leagues of Baseball. She’s also never one to back down from a fight or a worthwhile cause. She’s made a deal at home that if she gets straight A’s she will get to meet her favorite pitcher, fellow Asian-Latino pitcher Fu Li Hernandez. Everything is going as planned until they are given the assignment to square dance in PE. And as we all know: Lupe Wong Won’t Dance.
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This MG novel deals with great topics for middle grade readers such as tenacity, standing up for what you believe in, friendship and has amazing representation. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book featuring a Chinese-Mexican character, which just goes to show how we need to diversify our reading and for publishers to publish more diverse and inclusive literature. I also thought this story would be perfect to share for #aapiheritagemonth It won the Pura Belpre award and the Sid Fleischman Award for Humor. It’s a great middle grade fiction book and should be added to all the classrooms and libraries.

I would recommend this to middle school students, but I wouldn’t recommend it to adults. The audiobook and narrator were good, and I liked the story. I just don’t think this is one you have to read if you aren’t a 12-year-old

Thanks to @NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for my audiobook ARC!

The audiobook narrator was wonderful, but I was totally here for Lupe, a tomboy social justice warrior who just doesn't want to square dance at school. This was a beautiful coming-of-age middle grade.

This is a fantastic reading of a hysterical book. Lupe is a memorable character, fighting against any and every injustice, most recently the need to square dance in school. From the opening line about a wedgie, readers will be laughing and cheering Lupe. The narrator does an excellent job of using the right expression and giving the reader room to listen, think, and laugh.

This was my first NetGalley audiobook, and the narrator did a fabulous job reading this book aloud,.

Higuera definitely portrays how difficult middle school really can be. It sure makes me glad that part of my life is over! You can't help but root for Lupe as stubborn and determined as she is throughout the book. As she sticks to her guns, she begins to alienate her friends and classmates but she doesn't give up. I was amazed at Lupe's tenacity!

This was an enjoyable read!

I like that part of what Lupe learns in this book is when to take a stand and when to accept things. The difference between something you don't like and something that is wrong. There are things about the way that her school teaches square dancing that are wrong. That doesn't mean that square dancing itself is to blame. She can object to inappropriate songs and unfair policies without completely abandoning dance. I like too that Lupe's plains to avoid the most uncomfortable aspects don't work. She has to face her discomfort and becomes a stronger person, learning to be a better friend in the process. While a few scenes are a bit over the top, over all it's quite likeable and a fun read.

I think just about everyone can relate to wanting to get out of a school-sanctioned activity like Lupe did with square dancing. Personally, I had to square dance, polka, line dance, and ballroom dance in my public school gym classes and in my middle/high school mind it was torture. While I was too shy to fight back the way Lupe did, I also found some of her methods horribly cringe-worthy, but very 12-year-old appropriate.

The relationships in this book were wonderful and portrayed very realistically. I loved the relationship Lupe had with her family, especially her grandparents. I was also pleased with the way Lupe's friendships were shown. They weren't always easy, and Lupe struggled with how to be a good friend. I thought Lupe's friendship with Andi was particularly well done. Fighting with friends at that age can be nasty, and making up isn't as simple as many middle grade books portray. Lupe Wong Won't Dance was a humorous look at friendship, "American" culture, and the difficulties of being in middle school. It made me very glad I'm not 12 anymore.

I enjoyed this book more than I expected to.

Lupe Wong is a confident, outgoing "Mexicanese" or "Chinacan" middle school student with parents who are Chinese and Mexican. Her father has died in a work related accident, leaving her mother to care for Lupe and her brother. They have the support of grandparents and friends, but Lupe still misses her dad. He encouraged her to stand up for what is right and helped her learn how to be an excellent pitcher. She is the starting pitcher for her team.

Lupe is a change agent who has already made waves prior to the beginning of the story. Here she finds herself perplexed and aggravated that she has to learn how to Square Dance and rank among the top few teams in order to get an A in the class. That's important to Lupe because her grandfather has promised to introduce her to her favorite baseball star if she earns all A's. Lupe tries to get Square Dancing outlawed due to the history of the song they are using, "Cotton Eyed Joe". Seems he had an STD which caused his eyes to be cloudy white. The song was changed, but Square Dancing stayed. It has been part of the state curriculum forever. Even her older brother and mother took Square Dancing when they were in school. Lupe then decides to try to influence who her dancing partner will be, hurting feelings along the way. She is not selected by a boy and has to dance by herself. Over time she gets used to the idea that she won't get an A in PE.

Lupe eventually learns that when she influences/manipulates her friends, feelings are hurt and friendships are jeopardized. She tries to make up for it and takes the blame when her locker is vandalized. She doesn't want her best friend to be accused of the deed, which is the plan of the mean girl who is actually responsible. This causes Lupe to receive detention, which kicks her off the starting line up on the baseball team. Lupe takes it in stride.

Lupe later learns that the new song, "Turkey in the Straw", has its roots in slavery. An old version contains the N word. She reports this to the principal with concern that her best friend never hear the lyrics. Square Dancing remains a requirement but discussion ensues. In the future, students will have the opportunity to choose their dance partner and not follow defined gender roles.. A Family Cultural Day is planned showcasing many of the foods and traditions of the student's families. Because Lupe eventually embraces square dancing with gusto, she is selected to be among the top group and gets to meet the baseball star she admires.

I really enjoyed the fact that one of Lupe's best friends is on the autism spectrum. He has a loving family, does well in school and martial arts. Lupe and other friends have learned how to support him as well. The focus is on his strengths and not how he is different.

Overall, a very enjoyable book with great insights on friendship and inclusiveness.

Lupe Wong Won’t Dance is delightful and funny – I was listening in the car and found myself laughing out loud a number of times. She’s never one to back away from a cause, whether it’s big or small, so when sports-loving Lupe finds out the next unit in PE is square dancing, there’s no way she’s going to let that happen! You see, Lupe’s father had passed away a couple of years ago, and this year her uncle had promised her if she got all A’s he’d arrange a meeting for her with Fu Li Hernandez, her favourite major league pitcher, who’s Mexinese/Chinacan just like she is. I have to admit I couldn’t quite identify with her feelings, since I hated sports and quite enjoyed square dancing, but that didn’t stop my admiration for her tenacity, spirit, and love for her friends and family and empathizing with the loss of her father. The book accurately portrays the world of 12 year olds, with friends, frenemies, selfishness, and sticking up for each other. I would suggest this book for any child in that age range, and also for the adults who know and love them!

Lupe Wong won't dance. The teacher can't make her, her mother can't make her, and she will go all the way to the principal to avoid doing the one activity she hates most...
Square dancing.

The only problem? If Lupe can't convince the adults to put square dancing out to pasture with all of the other archaic torturous activities, she might not get an A in gym. If she doesn't get an A, she won't meet her baseball hero, and it's the one link she has with her deceased father.

No matter how hard Lupe pleads her case, she gets herself further and further away from her goal and alienates her best friend and classmates. Lupe, won't give up, though, and if she can't beat 'em, she will have to dance her heart out.

This book was a delight to listen to full of strong female role models and tons of pluck and perseverance from Lupe. The narrator captured Lupe and her friends' voices while also giving a distinct voice to the adults in her life. This is a must-read-book for schools and mother-daughter book groups. A much-needed book showcasing how a girl can make her voice heard in the world and enact change in a community while also changing herself.

This is a middle grade novel with a ton of heart. A little bit nerdy, a lot sporty, bi-racial, and still mourning the passing of her dad. Lupe is the kind of kid that really doesn't know when to quit. She goes one a one- woman crusade to end her school's long time practice of forcing middle schoolers to learn square dancing and it's as cute and funny and painful as you think is going to be.

Honestly, middle school is hard for everyone. Higuera manages to touch on so much of that in this book that I was having flashes of my own middle school years. And while many of Lupe's problems are self created, you can't help but root for this kid who is so passionate and so determined.

I really enjoyed this young adult book. It was highly readable, easy to follow, had great characters, and an interesting plot.

I voluntarily listened to an advanced copy of this audiobook. This audiobook is entertaining. The characters are described well and the book is well written. This was an entertaining audiobook. The narrator did a fabulous job reading this book, I can't wait to listen to more books narrated by Kyla Garcia.  This is my first book by Donna Barba Higuera and, I will definitely be reading/listening, to more books by this author in the future. The friendships between the characters and the family relationships are great. I would definitely recommend this audiobook to anyone and everyone.