New YA Novels Spotlight San Francisco Stories
Two Bay Area school librarians have released debut Young Adult novels that use San Francisco as a core character. A KQED Forum episode featured Renée Peña-Govea's *Estella Undrowning*, about a Latina poet facing eviction, and Susie Nadler's *Lies We Tell About the Stars*, about a teen searching for her friend after an earthquake. The authors said they wrote the books to provide honest representation for young readers.
In *Estella, Undrowning*, protagonist Estela Morales is one of the few Latina students at a prestigious San Francisco public high school. The novel, interwoven with Estela's own poetry, delves into her struggles with a racist teacher and the looming threat of her family's eviction. The plot is catalyzed when Estela places second in a "Latiné Heritage Poetry Contest" to a non-Latino student, sparking a citywide debate about identity and merit. This storyline allows the book to explore complex themes of injustice, community organizing, and finding one's voice. Author Renée Peña-Govea draws on her experience as a musician and educator, blending prose and poetry to tackle issues of racism, classism, and anxiety. The book is recommended for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo's *The Poet X*. Susie Nadler's *Lies We Tell About the Stars* is set in a near-future San Francisco, grappling with the aftermath of a massive earthquake. The story also incorporates the excitement and ambition surrounding the first human mission to Mars, a shared obsession of the main characters. The central mystery revolves around Celeste Muldoon's search for her best friend, Nicky, who disappeared on the day of the quake. Celeste doesn't believe he's dead, knowing he had a plan to vanish to escape a scandal from selling essays to wealthy classmates. Nadler, a San Francisco native and school librarian, explores themes of friendship, grief, and self-discovery through Celeste's journey. Her quest takes her across a fractured city and up the coast, navigating towns filled with earthquake refugees.
