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I received this book for free from TBR & Beyond Tours in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.
Speak Up, Santiago! by Julio Anta Illustrator: Gabi Mendez
Published by Random House Children's Books on March 4, 2025
Genres: Juvenile Fiction / Comics & Graphic Novels / General, Juvenile Fiction / Social Themes / Adolescence & Coming of Age
Pages: 224
Format: ARC
Source: TBR & Beyond Tours
Buy on Libro.fm
Goodreads
Welcome to Hillside Valley! 12 year-old New York city kid Santi is heading upstate, in the debut of this irresistible contemporary graphic novel series about friends, family, community and identity—just right for fans of Mexikid and the Click series!
How can you speak up if you don't have the words?
Santi is excited to spend the summer in Hillside Valley, meeting the local kids, eating his Abuela's delicious food, exploring! There's just one problem—Santi doesn't speak Spanish that well and it feels like everyone he meets in Hillside does. There's Sol (she's a soccer player who really loves books), Willie, (the artist), Alejandro (Santi's unofficial tour guide!), and Nico (Alejandro's brother and blue belt in karate). In between all of their adventures in Hillside, Santi can't help but worry about his Spanish-what if he can't keep up?! Does that mean he's not Colombian enough? Will Santi find his confidence and his voice? Or will his worries cost him his new friendships...and the chance to play in HIlliside's summer soccer tournament?!Book 1 in the Hillside Valley Graphic Novel series introduces an unforgettable group of kids readers will love—look for more Hillside Valley graphic novels, coming soon!
“A fun graphic novel about learning to understand each other.”—Kayla Miller, creator of the Click Series
“I’ll say it in both Spanish and English! I love this book! Me encanta este libro!” —Raul the Third,illustrator of Stuntboy
“A perfect read.”—Kat Fajardo, creator of Miss Quinces
Welcome to my stop on the Speak Up Santiago book tour hosted by TBR and Beyond Tours.
When you are trying to learn a new language, being in an immersion setting can be overwhelming and stressful. You’re worried about your accent, keeping up with the conversation and not understanding certain words. Graphic novel Speak Up, Santiago! by Julio Anta and Gabi Mendez addresses this anxiety.
Santiago is excited to spend the summer with his abuela. But he is anxious about only speaking Spanish with her since that is the only language she speaks. Santiago is biracial, with a Columbian-born father. But he also had trouble speaking when he was younger. So instead of being raised fully bilingual, his parents decided it would be easier if they focused more on English.
Bilingual Depiction
I loved the set up of this graphic novel. The initial conversations that Santiago has with his abuela are visually and realistically depicted. When the conversation moves too quickly for him, you see words crossed out. Or when he doesn’t know a word there are thought bubbles that show his frustration. It was a very real depiction of trying to learn more of a language and practice speaking it through immersion.
Experiences & Relationships
The story addresses Santiago’s experiences of being judged by his appearance and how people assume he should know Spanish. This is an issue that many first generation, American-born kids often face. People assume because of your last name and/or how you look, or who your family is that you automatically are bilingual. But the reality is there are many reasons why kids in this situation might not be bilingual. This book does a good job at illustrating this and providing space for empathy.
The story also follows the friendships that Santiago makes with the local kids and how is relationship with his mother grows. The neighborhood kids embrace him, but they also set boundaries when Santiago takes his frustration out on them. His grandmother creates a safe place for them to have a healing conversation instead of moving on without addressing it.
Addressing the emotions behind learning a language
This is a great book for kids learning another language — whether in a class or part of an immersion experience– and for kids who grew up without the opportunity to learn their parents’ home language. It does a great job of addressing the emotional aspect of feeling overwhelmed when you feel like you can’t communicate with someone very well or you have doubts about your ability to speak well.
Bonus
This is going to be a series! So if you love the characters in Speak UP, Santiago, then you will love Sol Goes for The Goal, coming out in 2026. Also, if you want to read more books about kids dealing with a similar experience like Santiago, check out Brownstone, another graphic novel about a girl who visits her Spanish-speaking Dad for the summer.
About the Author
About Julio Anta:
Julio Anta is the writer of many graphic novels including the Eisner Award-nominated Frontera, This Land Is Our Land: A Blue Beetle Story, Home and Sí, Se Puede: The Latino Heroes Who Changed the United States. Julio was born and raised in Miami, Florida and currently resides in New York City. Forthcoming work includes a slate of graphic novels for HarperAlley, Random House Graphic and First Second.
- Website: https://www.julioanta.com/
- Twitter: https://x.com/JulioAnta
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julioanta
- Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21160026
About Gabi Mendez
Gabi Mendez is a queer latinx comics artist and illustrator. A graduate of the School of The Art Institute of Chicago, and the Sequential Art Master’s program at SCAD, she is currently working and taking on new and exciting projects! She writes a lot of silly comics, says “dude” too much, and just wants everyone to feel included.
- Website: https://www.gabimendez.com/about-1
- Twitter: https://x.com/hobbleshmobble
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hobbleshmobble/
- Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17969668
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