Stef Soto, Taco Queen

Jennifer Torres's Stef Soto, Taco Queen is a warm family story for 10 year olds about a girl who'd give anything to stop being picked up from school in a taco truck.

What happens

The truck is called Tía Perla. She wheezes, she's a bit grubby however clean she is, and she leaves you smelling of jalapeños and cooking oil. Stef named her herself, years ago, when the family had saved up for a year to buy her.

Back then, getting lifted into Tía Perla's front seat made Stef playground royalty. Now she's in seventh grade and she'd much rather be dropped off in a boring beige station wagon. Then a girl called Julia calls her the Taco Queen in the corridor. Ouch.

It's such a relatable feeling. Loving your family to bits and still wishing the ground would swallow you up at the school gate. Who hasn't been there?

Stef's parents are VERY careful with her. She's not allowed to walk anywhere alone or stay home by herself. So when her best friend Amanda wins two tickets to a sold-out pop concert, Stef knows exactly what the answer will be. She sets out to prove how grown-up she is anyway (ironing, omelettes, the lot).

Meanwhile there's a notice pinned up where the food trucks are kept at night. The city wants new rules. Papi asks Stef to read it for him, because she's the one who translates the important stuff for her family.

There's a lot of heart here. Papi keeps inventing dishes for Stef's friend Arthur, who's allergic to basically everything. Stef draws when she can't find the right words. Her art teacher and her very bouncy best friend both feel like real people.

It's an American book set in a Catholic school, with Spanish words dropped in all through (órale, m'ija). The story makes them clear as it goes, so your reader won't get stuck.

What to read next

If they enjoy a girl who pitches in with her family's work while dreaming of something else, Front Desk is a great next step. Mia works behind a motel desk with her parents, keeps a lot of secrets and really wants to be a writer.