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. Gr 5 Up-This fresh realistic fiction novel is heartwarming, adventurous, and strong. Adela Ramírez is 12 and living in New Mexico. Growing up with a single mom never bothered her, until her stepfather Alex asks to adopt her. Now she has an overwhelming decision. She loves Alex and loves the life they have created with her mother and soon-to-arrive baby brother, but Adela has strong feelings about her father having to give up his parental rights in order for Alex to adopt her. Alex sets out on her own to find out who her father is, and why he left without a trace. Adela's detective skills serve her well, but what will she do now that her father is found and back in the picture? Will they be able to have the father-daughter relationship that she has dreamed of? Will she fit into his celebrity luchador wrestling family, the Bravos? Middle grade readers will find resonance in the realistic flow of this novel. Pérez writes the struggle of Adela and her family in an authentic way throughout. The ups and downs mixed with the mystery of why Adela's mother kept so much of her life with her father a secret will have readers wanting more. Fans of luchador wrestlers and wrestling will appreciate the sports themes woven all around the family story. Hand this to fans of Pérez's Strange Birds: A Field Guide to Ruffling Feathers. VERDICT A novel that wrestles with the complex emotions of family and beginnings; a must-have for any library collection serving tweens.-Elizabeth Pelayoα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. 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