Life in a small town can be painful when you're a teen, whether you're in the United States or in another country. Everybody knows everyone else, and people have their noses in your business all the time. Raquel is 16, and she yearns for more. Her parents went through an acrimonious divorce, and her father recently remarried. Feeling sensitive about the topic, she gets very angry at a paraprofessional at her school when she's questioned about her father's new bride, and as a result she is suspended from school. Raquel's best friends, Luísa and Fred, are very supportive, but they can't seem to cheer her up. Raquel wants more from life than what her town can offer.
Joining a play, Raquel makes the acquaintance of Pardalita, a senior she's seen before but never interacted with. Pardalita is brash, bold, colorful, and artistic. The two of them hit it off very quickly, and soon Raquel is head over heels for Pardalita. But Pardalita is leaving town to attend university in Lisbon in the fall, and Raquel will be left behind along. Fortunately, there's a whole summer to go through before that happens, so Raquel will live life to the fullest, ensuring that each and every day spent with Pardalita is the best one yet!
Told through poems, illustrations, and graphic novel vignette, the story of Raquel and Pardalita beautifully portrays teenage angst and the desires, effects, and repercussions of a first love. Readers who are looking for an experience that is both sad and joyful will appreciate Pardalita and its real-life representation of formative teenage years.
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