FIERCELY FICTIONAL: Grow Up, Luchy Zapata

FIERCELY FICTIONAL celebrates fierce, inspiring fictional girls we know you’ll love. To us, “fierce” isn’t just about slaying dragons or solving mysteries. It’s about breaking free from your comfort zone, discovering your confidence, fighting for what you believe in, & discovering your emotional strength. Any girl can shine bright & be fierce, & in this series, we’ll connect you with a new fiercely fictional character every month!

FIERCELY FICTIONAL is back, and we’re featuring the loyal and creative Luchy Zapata from Grow Up, Luchy Zapata by Alexandra Alessandri.

We’ve all been there, right? Growing up with a friendship we once thought was unbreakable until one day, things have totally changed. In this relatable new read, Luchy Zapata is about to go through this exact same thing.

Looking forward to finally going to the same school as her two best friends, Cami and Mateo, Luchy has high hopes about starting middle school. Being both an artist and a soccer star, she’s excited to share an art class with Mateo and to try out for the soccer team with Cami, where they can take to the field together and let their soccer skills shine. Luchy is equal parts athlete and artist, living for the adrenaline rush of soccer and expressing herself creatively on the pages of her sketchbook and in her wardrobe choices. Art also helps her feel connected to her Columbian culture, something she sometimes feels disconnected from since she isn’t fluent in Spanish.

But when her BFF Cami returns from a summer trip to Columbia, it’s like she’s a whole new person. Not only is she dressing different, she’s acting different, forming a bond with a cool new friend group, leaving Luchy feeling down on herself and questioning everything. Luchy loves her colorful style and isn’t quite ready to give up the things she feels make her who she is.

Grow Up, Luchy Zapata:

Determined to save their friendship, Luchy tries everything from a new look to making a special scrapbook for Cami, but it doesn’t go as planned and leads to a feud filled with glitter bombs, stolen cleats, pranks, and misunderstandings. But even as Luchy navigates this friendship rift and connects more with her Colombian roots, she still makes time for her friend Mateo, who’s going through something major at home and is a loyal friend at her core.

Grow Up, Luchy Zapata is a perfect read for the back-to-school season! Luchy is on a journey of self-discovery and sixth-grade struggles that are so authentic that almost anyone can relate. Plus, all of the descriptions of Columbian food are so delectable you’ll almost be able to taste them through the page! We think Luchy is fierce because of her athletic and artistic abilities, but mostly because, at the end of the day, she’s just so real. She’s not perfect, and neither is the way she handles her problems, but she’s a loyal friend with a big heart who is open to learning some big life lessons.

We’re excited to share that Grow Up, Luchy Zapata author Alexandra Alessandri is here sharing a peek between the pages of this new read and all the reasons Luchy is totally fierce!

Five Reasons Luchy Zapata is Totally Fierce:

She’s not afraid to be herself:

Luchy is fully into art and artistic expression, both in her sketchbook and with her clothes, and she’s not about to let the “cool” kids and middle school change that. She loves her colorful leggings and outfits, silly made-up games, and make-up free face. She doesn’t want to conform and be just like everyone else—and she doesn’t understand why her BFF Cami is suddenly doing just that.

And while she attempts to appease her BFF for the briefest of moments, it simply serves as a reminder that she loves who she is just as she is, thank you very much!

She’s a fiercely loyal friend:

Even when she’s annoyed, Luchy refuses to give up on her friends or ditch them when the going gets rough. She values loyalty and will do whatever it takes to keep them in her life.

When Cami starts to drift apart, Luchy becomes determined to try whatever it takes to remind Cami why they’re meant to be BFFs, from creating the perfect scrapbook memento to (briefly) reinventing herself in order to reach Cami. And when her other BFF Mateo confides in her, heartbroken because something is wrong with his grandmother, Luchy dives in to help him uncover the truth, no questions asked.

She slays on the soccer field:

Aside from her art, Luchy is all about soccer—or fútbol, as her parents and Abui call it. She loves the feel of the ball at her feet, the wind in her face, and the surge of adrenaline when she kicks the ball right into the sweet spot, scoring the goal. There’s very little that’s as sweet as the sound of “GOOOAAAAL!!” And she’s pretty good at it too—her family reminds her often that soccer, like Colombia, runs in her veins. Admittedly, she prefers pick-up games at the park versus more serious competitions, but she grudgingly admits she likes the connection between soccer and Papi and her Colombian culture. Her dad might be ultra-obsessed, sometimes to the point of embarrassment, but in those moments, she feels like she belongs most. And scoring is just the cherry on the guava-filled cupcake!

She’s determined, both on the field and off:

No one can claim that Luchy isn’t determined or stubborn! After all, Papi always says, “Ay, Luchy, my little Leo. You’re as stubborn as a lioness protecting her pride.” When Luchy sets her mind to something, like winning Cami back or making the middle school soccer team, she’s all in and NOTHING will stand in her way—not her BFF’s dismissal, not her missing soccer cleats, and most definitely not the mean girl who’s trying to steal both Cami and Luchy’s chance to shine on the soccer field.

She learns to admit when she’s wrong (eventually):

But… sometimes, in her determination and stubbornness, Luchy makes some royal, glittery mistakes that hurts those she loves, and she learns that part of growing up is learning to own up when she messes up—and that even adults make mistakes and get it wrong. Saying “I’m sorry” and meaning it is the first step at setting things right.

📚Need another fierce read to add to your shelf after Grow Up, Luchy Zapata? Catch up on our FIERCELY FICTIONAL series!