Sofía Acosta Makes a Scene

By Emma Otheguy

Alfred A. Knopf, 2022. 281 p.

Sofía is the middle child in a ballet family. Her parents were ballet dancers that came to the United States to dance, and decided to not return to Cuba. Sofía’s older sister is a ballet protégé. Her younger brother is a great dancer as well. And Sofía…well…she sometimes can happen to dance to the rhythm. (Though she doesn’t really understand what the rhythm is no matter how much she practices with her family.) Sofía would rather be sewing or creating miniature scenes of the Nutcracker in a shoebox than dance. But if she doesn’t dance well, would she still fit into her family? Would there still be a place for her? This book is a fantastic look at what makes a family—and what makes a person within a family special. Throw in some friend drama, examples of Cuban American discrimination, and learning to trust her voice to speak up (about friends, family, and what she believes in), and this is one great choice for readers who love realistic fiction that feels current. Well done.

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