Los viernes de películas, by Kodi Rain and Tian Torrano

I am thrilled that this book exists! Here we have an emotionally wise story for students of Spanish that kids can really identify with... and which has non-binary characters in an authentic, culturally rich setting in Uruguay. What a joy! I highly recommend to teachers and to anyone wanting a good read.

This Spanish book is primarily about friendship and supporting friends in a healthy way, especially during struggles. The story is comprehensible to novice mid readers and above, the glossary is well-done, and the story is compelling for all levels and ages of reader. What sets this book apart is the language: non-binary and gender-inclusive Spanish. This is a first for me as a reader and as a teacher, and hopefully not the last! I love that students will finally feel "seen" when they read this as their FVR selection!

I love this book. It's written in level one language for Spanish language learners. It would be accessible to advanced beginners, at the end of level 1 or easily at level 2. It is mostly in the present tense.
This is the first reader for language learners I have read that is written using gender-inclusive Spanish. I read it slowly and thoroughly because of that. The authors are non-binary and live in Massachusetts and Uruguay. The care with which it was written is evident.
I love it so much for so many reasons. First, the central "problem" in the book is not ABOUT being non-binary. It's about a real and normal problem that everyone has and passes through and how friends can help friends through grief and the immobilization that comes with it. It also emphasizes boundaries when they recognize that their friend needs help but does not need them to make decisions or invade their space or disrespect their healthy boundaries. It puts mental health front and center and the difficulty of self-care and participating in daily school and social life when in the midst of it. It is something everyone can identify with. It's short and simple, but still a slow read because there is extra thinking required while seeing so many new forms of words (assuming this is a language learner's first exposure to gender-inclusive language.). This is the language being used by the community in Uruguay, which makes it as much a way to observe the evolution of the language non-critically as a way to get input as a language learner. It's simply wonderful and should be in every class library and school library and be read by all Spanish teachers and Spanish language learners.

I love that it is level one and accessible and I had to read it SLOWLY so that I could acquire all of these new words and structures that are unfamiliar to me in reading. What an excellent way to acquire the ability to communicate.
It’s a paradigm shift in CI novels that will open the door to other authors who had never considered writing and has the potential to move us beyond stories about how hard it is to... be gay, be trans etc and into genres of mystery and thrillers and science fiction with some non-binary characters and gender-inclusive language.

I loved reading this story about friendship and taking care of each other. It was a wonderfully written story and I highly recommend it, I love that it takes place in Uruguay. It is great addition to your classroom library!

I was so delighted to read this simple yet powerful story. My students gravitate towards any of the books I have that help them and their friends of the LGBT community feel seen. However, so few are written by people who truly understand and identify with the characters on the pages. This book is unique in that every part of it was created by nonbinary people (both coauthors, the illustrator). Second of all, the main conflict in the story is one EVERYONE can identify with. Being LGBT is not the problem nor should it be the main focus of every story in which they are represented. As one of the authors writes, "We have lives and stories to tell beyond coming out, struggling, and explaining what it’s like to be queer."

It is such a simple, sweet story of true friends who look out for each other. When one friend isn't doing well, everyone else comes to the rescue. It shows how there is hope and help for anyone struggling with depression and grief without oversimplifying or trivializing it. The way they approach it is thoughtfully and with concern for their friend's autonomy, not in a bossy or patronizing way - a great model for young readers who aren't sure where to begin to help a friend. The authority and credibility of having a psychologist (who works with teens) co-write this book is apparent.

Overarching themes are of how friends are there for one another and how our friendships only deepen when we go through hard times together. Life isn't perfect, but it is better when we go through it together.

I am excited to get this lovely story into my library and to watch my students' faces light up!