A review by carnisht
Stef Soto, Taco Queen by Jennifer Torres

4.0

Stef Soto, Taco Queen was a very nice, simple book. There was nothing complicated about it, but it still had some great themes to discuss and read about related to family and friendship. This book really just had a sweet story that would make a great addition to any library.

Stef was a great narrator! I found it incredibly easy to connect with her and empathize with her. She felt very realistic and like she could’ve been one of my students. Seeing her struggles and conflicts explained through her POV was extremely effective and, to me, really strengthened the book beyond what it would’ve been with a 3rd person narrator.

Along with Stef being a believable narrator, I also found that the various conflicts in this story felt very grounded in reality. There were helicopter parents, planning a school dance as a fundraiser, the regulations being imposed on the food truck, getting anxious about a school dance, and broken friendships. None of these things are outlandish, and most all are fairly commonplace enough that anyone could find something to connect with within the story. Sometimes books can really blur the lines of reality, so I really appreciated that from Torres.

To read more of my thoughts on this book, check out https://yalitreader.wordpress.com/2021/08/06/stef-soto-taco-queen-by-jennifer-torres/