Marcia Argueta Mickelson
Author of Young Adult Fiction
More from Marcia
01.
The Huaca
Ellie Cummings just wants to feel normal. But since her mom’s murder, everyone has been treating her differently. She turns to Gabe, the high school weirdo, who claims he can communicate with her dead mother. In this haunting mystery, your heartstrings will be tugged as Ellie takes a chance and discovers that the truth may be better kept a secret.
02.
Where I Belong
In the spring of 2018, Guatemalan American high school senior Milagros “Millie” Vargas knows her life is about to change. Faced with journalists, trolls, and anonymous threats Millie must confront the complexity of her past, the uncertainty of her future, and her place in the country that she believed was home.
03.
The Weight of Everything
It’s been six months since Sarah’s mom died. Three months since her dad fell apart. With her dad’s drinking out of control, Sarah struggles to make sure that the bills are paid and that her dad’s grief won’t crush them all. She doesn’t have time or emotional energy to find out if her cute classmate, David Garza, could be more than a friend.
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Books
Ellie Cummings just wants to feel normal. But since her mom’s murder, everyone has been treating her differently. She turns to Gabe, the high school weirdo, who claims he can communicate with her dead mother. In this haunting mystery, your heartstrings will be tugged as Ellie takes a chance and discovers that the truth may be better kept a secret.
An immigrant teen fights for her family, her future, and the place she calls home. In the spring of 2018, Guatemalan American high school senior Milagros “Millie” Vargas knows her life is about to change. Faced with journalists, trolls, and anonymous threats Millie must confront the complexity of her past, the uncertainty of her future, and her place in the country that she believed was home.
It’s been six months since Sarah’s mom died. Three months since her dad fell apart. With her dad’s drinking and spending getting out of control, Sarah struggles to make sure that the bills are paid, that her brother is fed and safe, that her dad’s grief won’t crush them all. And she definitely doesn’t have the time or the emotional energy to find out if her sweet, handsome classmate, David Garza, could be more than a friend.
Reviews
“Cast into the political firestorm of an aspiring U.S. senator’s campaign, a Guatemalan immigrant teen grapples with her newfound notoriety.
It’s the end of Milagros Vargas’ senior year of high school in Corpus Christi, Texas. So far, aspiring marine biologist Millie’s accepted a spot at Stanford, although her mom doesn’t yet know this. As Millie became the second caretaker of her family after her father’s death, her mom expanded her housekeeping job for the Wheelers, an affluent White family. For Millie, Mr. Wheeler’s campaign for the U.S. Senate means her mom will be away from her family more, caring for the Wheelers’ young daughter. Then, the senatorial candidate highlights Millie and her family as examples of exemplary immigrants during a campaign speech, resulting in public support as well as hostility from internet trolls and anonymous haters. When someone sets the Vargas home on fire, they have no choice but to accept the offer to temporarily move in with the Wheelers, even as Millie finds herself inexplicably drawn toward their son, Charlie. Setting her story against the backdrop of a nameless, anti-immigrant White House administration, Mickelson does a remarkable job of plunging into complex issues with tremendous nuance. Millie’s acquired U.S. citizenship, after arriving as an undocumented asylum seeker, further complicates the discourse, raising stark questions around common debates about which immigrants “deserve” to be welcomed. Full of thought-provoking conversations, messy answers, and lots of heart, this novel’s a quiet knockout.
Utterly compelling.”
Kirkus Review
“After her mother’s death and father’s breakdown, Sarah must balance household responsibilities and taking care of her little brother with attending a new school.
Seventeen-year-old San Antonio teen Sarah Mosley’s life in the six months since her mother died has been full of changes. A visual artist, she had to give up her spot at an Austin boarding school for the fine arts to move home and act as the primary caregiver for her precocious 8-year-old brother, Steven. Since her grief-stricken, hard-drinking White father lost his job as a university professor, Sarah has spent time selling custom drawings on Etsy to earn extra money for the family budget. At her new high school, Sarah decides to take Spanish to connect with her Mexican and Guatemalan maternal heritage, and she meets handsome and attentive David Garza, who’s immediately drawn to her. Despite their mutual attraction, Sarah feels too overwhelmed with family responsibilities to seriously consider romance. A highlight of the story is Sarah’s decision to base an art project on her family’s personal connection to her mother’s favorite Diego Rivera painting. The narrative lovingly conveys the pivotal role older siblings can play after a parent’s death and weaves in Sarah’s new interest in Guatemalan history and social activism in an organic manner.
A thoughtful and substantive story about loss, cultural discovery, and first love.”
Kirkus Reviews
author of Summer of the Mariposas
ELANA JOHNSON AUTHOR OF possession
