In SPEAK UP, SANTIAGO! Santi is looking forward to spending the summer with his abuela. There’s just one problem—she mostly speaks Spanish and Santi is not confident about speaking Spanish. When he arrives at his abuela’s, he’s excited to meet and become friends with the neighborhood kids, joining them on their secret soccer team. As summer progresses, his Spanish skills improve and he’s gaining confidence, but then Santi overhears his abuela’s friends making fun of his Spanish. This puts a strain on his relationship with his abuela and his newfound friends and may impact his spot on the soccer team before a big tournament.

Santi’s story will resonate with multilingual readers who are in similar situations. His emotions and his reactions feel authentic and help readers to empathize with Santi’s experiences. The graphic novel format is used strategically and effectively to show Santi’s challenges with understanding Spanish. The intergenerational relationship portrayed here between Santi and his abuela is warm and multilayered. Readers will see Santi grow in many ways throughout the book and I think many will look forward to seeing him and his friends again in future books in this series.

Speak up Santiago was a very solid start to a Graphic Novel Series and in fact it has piqued my interest to carry on with the series which I am excited about. There are two main reasons that I thoroughly enjoyed this book was that the were both written in Spanish and English which was in my view as I don't speak the language was pure and utter genius. And the second reason is the lush artwork it really suited the storyline.

I'm afraid that is all that I am going to say about the book as I do not do spoilers but what I can say is that if you pick up Speak up Santiago you will have a great time and this is why I am giving it 4 stars.

✨ Review ✨ Speak Up Santiago by Julio Anta, illustrated by Gabi Mendez

Thanks to Random House Graphic, TBR and Beyond, and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

Anta's first book in a new middle grades Hillside Valley graphic novel series drops us into a small town somewhere, presumably, on the East Coast.

Santi's spending the summer with his Abuela to practice his Spanish. He befriends a group of kids - Sol, Willlie, Alejandro and Nico, and joins their unofficial soccer club. As he explores the town and meets new people, he feels a wide range of emotions -- pride in the growth of his Spanish, fear that he's not Columbian enough or that his accent is too gringo, etc. etc.

Anta introduces Santi as a character that feels what many second and third generation immigrants feel in a disconnect in their language fluency, and I appreciated Anta giving that voice here. In some of the earlier pages, where Santi's dad and grandma start talking fast, words are scribbled out, showing that feeling that every language learner is so familiar with when you just can't keep up. I love how the book blends Spanish and English across the pages, making this truly a bilingual read.

Kudos to Anta, for tackling this important topic, and to Mendez for her incredible illustrations. The colors are vibrant but muted in ways to highlight the small town and its nature. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: middle grades graphic novel
Setting: small town
Pub Date: Mar 04 2025

Santiago “Santi” is a young lad who has a Colombian immigrant father and Caucasian mother. He tries to adapt being biracial which can be confusing at times, including his lack of speaking Spanish. He spends the summer with his Abuela (grandmother) Emma who lives a rural community that is heavily Latinx populated. Santi quickly becomes friends with those close to his age and joins their secret soccer club. Soccer is Santi’s passion and he excels at it. The secret soccer club plan to enter a soccer tournament which is a dream come true.

In his Abuela Emma’s house, they speak Spanish 100% of the time so that Santi can learn. Those in the community are surprised to hear that Santi never learned Spanish at home, which embarrasses him. To further add to his discomfort, he speaks Spanish like a gringo. Abuela Emma’s lady friends gently tease Santi about his lack of accent and Santi even overhears Abuela Emma admit he may never lose his lack of accent. Santi takes this as criticism and is humiliated, his shame building up to a point where he does not speak Spanish at all. He takes his frustration out on his friends on the soccer field where harm comes to one of his secret soccer club friends.

Something needs to be done with Santi. Will the Latinx community be a help or further hinder in Santi’s progress? Or should he just go back home to his parents?

Santiago is going to live with his Abuela (grandma) for the summer to be more confident with speaking Spanish, to spend time with his Abuela, and to eat her amazing food.

Santiago is Colombian-American, but doesn’t quite fit in as he’s not Spanish enough and he’s not American enough. He’s somewhere in-between. Will living with Abuela help Santiago find his identity?

The goal for the summer is to be fluent in Spanish. Will Santiago be able to accomplish that goal? Will he fit in with his Abuela’s friends’ grandkids?

This graphic novel was so very well written. I love that there was Spanish and English whenever Santiago was speaking or listening to his Abuela. This is a great read for those who are trying to find out where they fit in. This is also a great book for those who want to learn Spanish or English as there are both languages and its translations for a majority part of the book! For me, I can listen and understand basic Spanish, so it was nice to be able to read Spanish and then test myself to see if I understood what I read by reading the English translation. I highly recommend this book even if you don’t know Spanish. It’s a wonderful read to understand what children are going through when they don’t feel like they fit in.

Speak Up, Santiago! follows Santi as he spends the summer in Hillside Valley with his Abuela. While Santi is excited about the summer, there is one problem, Santi hasn't been speaking Spanish for long and is still struggling with the language and it seems like everyone he encounters in Hillside is fluent in Spanish. Santi meets the local kids, Sol, Willie, Alejandro, and Nico who introduce them to their favorite place in town and let him join their soccer team. Santi worries that he won't be able to keep up with others because of his Spanish. He worries that this means he isn't Colombian enough. Will Santi be able to find his voice, will these worries get in the way of his ability to be a team with his new friends, and will this mean he can't play in the Hillside summer soccer tournament?

What I liked: This book opens with introducing you to Santi as he explains the difficulty he has had with mastering Spanish. He explains that he has been learning the language and why he didn't learn it as he was growing up. As someone who didn't learn Spanish until high school and was embarrassed to speak it because of my accent, this book was quite relatable.

This book includes the Spanish that is spoken throughout and then immediately translates it into English making it a great book for those who are new to Spanish. Due to these translations, the book is accessible regardless of your familiarity with the Spanish language, even if you have no knowledge of the language, you can still enjoy the book. There are portions in which words are crossed out in Spanish and sections where the word is blurry because we are getting glimpses at how Santi is interpreting the words he is hearing. This choice allows you to be immersed into the book and feel the frustration that Santi does when people are speaking too quickly for him to keep up or using words that he hasn't learned yet.

This book tackles the complexity of not knowing the language of your parents and grandparents, and how that can make you feel like you aren't a part of their culture. You get glimpses of Santi struggling with this and not knowing who he can go to with these feelings. Santi's friend, Sol, tries to talk to him but he shuts her out and instead plays aggressively during soccer practice making his friends remove him from the team. This book shows the importance of sharing your feelings and speaking up when you are hurt so that a conversation can happen regarding those feelings. Santi and his grandmother discuss the things that Santi overheard which caused him to feel embarrassed, and it was after this discussion that Santi was able to understand that no one was actually laughing at his expense.

The images in the story go great with the words and they help to pull the story along. It's fascinating to see the various parts of town that Santi's new friends show him and the places he visits with his grandma. There are also moments in which the grandma explains about her history and when Santi and her share foods that the images make come alive. The illustrations help share in the culture and give you more of an immersive experience while reading.

Final Verdict: Speak Up, Santiago! is a heartwarming and immersive story about struggling to fit in and finding where you belong. This book is great for children ages 8 and up, especially those who feel like they aren't enough for their culture for various reasons. This book will encourage those who are learning a new language to keep at it and to not be embarrassed that they don't sound like native speakers because everyone is new at something.

Short, easy to read, and right to the point. All characters make mistakes, making it more realistic, and all know how to do the right thing and apologize at the right moment. Santiago is visiting his Colombian for the Summer and only Spanish is allowed (so he can improve his skils).
It can't be easy to feel frustrated for not being able to communicate; more than that, the lack of communication is not just a language barrier; it's also being aware of the limits. What can be a joke for some can be hurtful to others and that is not a language problem. I am glad the author covered the difference with a positive ending. It's very easy to misunderstand others (due to a lack of self-confidence even) or be misunderstood. Communication is the key.

Santiago is Columbian, but he is not a natural Spanish speaker. He has been working on learning Spanish, so it makes sense to spend the summer visiting his abuela who can create a place of immersion for him. But Santi is self conscious - he knows he has an accent and he is not sure he will be able to communicate only in Spanish for a whole summer. Luckily, Santi meets a few kids in town and they become fast friends, bonding over their heritage and soccer. At times, Santi feels like he is nailing it, but others, doubt creeps in. Will people make fun of him? Or will this summer bring big change for him?

Speak up Santi is a story of friendships, family, culture, and courage. Santi stays with his grandmother for the summer, but she only speaks Spanish. He is not confident in his Spanish. A major theme in Speak up Santi is speaking Spanish as a second language and the cultural impacts of learning the language later in life, especially as a Hispanic person. Through this book, Santiago builds up his courage as he pushes through his complicated relationship with speaking Spanish. He makes great friends while doing so! I would highly recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my e-ARC!

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔
📖 love graphic novels
💭 speak more than one language
🤭 don’t like when people laugh at you
⚽️ like to play soccer

• 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

Santi is excited to spend the summer in Hillside Valley, meeting the local kids, eating his Abuela's delicious food, exploring! There's just one problem—Santi doesn't speak Spanish that well and it feels like everyone he meets in Hillside does. There's Sol (she's a soccer player who really loves books), Willie, (the artist), Alejandro (Santi's unofficial tour guide!), and Nico (Alejandro's brother and blue belt in karate). In between all of their adventures in Hillside, Santi can't help but worry about his Spanish-what if he can't keep up?! Does that mean he's not Colombian enough? Will Santi find his confidence and his voice? Or will his worries cost him his new friendships...and the chance to play in HIlliside's summer soccer tournament?!

• 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒

I always love a good graphic novel, and not only does this one teach a great lesson, it also has fantastic illustrations. I really enjoyed the way this story was written - I don’t speak or know any Spanish, but I really appreciated the way it was placed in the story for context. Anyone who is bilingual would enjoy the sections I unfortunately had to miss, but it really helped show, in a visual manner, how learning a new language is so difficult, even for people who have been around it their entire lives. I have a friend who knows Spanish but I don’t know if she is 100% fluent in it. I can’t wait to see what happens next for this new group of friends!

Speak Up, Santiago! Is the first in a new graphic novel series following a group of Latinx preteens in the upstate New York community of Hillside Valley. We follow protagonist Santiago as he travels from the city to spend the summer with the abuela, becoming more fluent in Spanish. Santi is an empathetic character that worries he will never fully be accepted due to late acquisition of the language and Americanized accent.

This is a sweet and easy to follow story that can be a great tool for language teachers and learners. Julio Anta uses both Spanish and English dialogue bubbles that can be used by both ENL learners as well as students working on learning to read Spanish. Similarly, there are pieces of text that are blacked out to show how Santi is struggling to keep up with his abuela's speaking. This offers a glimpse into the situations that language learners experience and is a great perspective to show to students that would otherwise not understand how difficult it can be for classmates that are non-native speakers.

The story is also very sweet and the characters are likable. Santi's friend group is slightly developed, but will be more so as the series continues. I think this is an endearing start to a series that has a lot of potential to resonate with middle grade readers.

Santiago is on his way to stay with his abuela for the summer in Hillside. As a second generation American, however, he’s nervous about speaking Spanish, and his abuela mostly speaks Spanish. In Hillside, he befriends some kids who invite him to play on their soccer team and learns about the Latino community. His insecurities and struggles with Spanish are causing him to not act like himself and strain his relationship with his abuela. Can he find a way to fit in and get past his insecurities? Can he find a way to get along with his abuela?

The plot is realistic, engaging, and believable. The characters are easy to empathize with, are likable, and believable. Richly colored, bright illustrations do a great job of bringing Santiago’s world to life. The struggles with learning a new language, fitting in, battling insecurities, and celebrating one’s culture will resonate with readers. Characters are Latino. Readers who like realistic fiction, living in a new town, and books about family and community will want to pick this one up. Recommended for library collections where such books are popular. 4 stars, Gr 3 to 6.

Thank you Random House Children's, Random House Graphic, and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this great book. This is the first book in the Hillside Valley middle grade graphic novel series and is about a boy who is trying to keep his heritage alive by practicing speaking Spanish with his grandmother while he is by her for the summer vacation. It was such a heartwarming, sweet story that I could relate to very much since I work with a lot of Spanish speaking students and my own Spanish is not very good. I am looking forward to share this book with my students and am looking forward to the next ones in the series.

This story deals with a relatable, realistic issue: a Latino kid embarrassed because he isn't fluent in Spanish. It features a cast of imperfect but well-intentioned characters who mess up but then apologize and do better.

Given how much of the book deals with language, it's great that the creators found an interesting, effective way to portray the Spanish and English dialog using speech bubbles. I especially like how, when Santi is struggling to keep up with someone else's Spanish, some of the words in the speech bubble are scribbled out to show that Santi didn't catch them.

Santi is heading to spend time with his Abuela this summer. Trouble is he doesn’t speak Spanish very well and his Abuela doesn’t speak English. Santi struggles to converse with his grandmother, but he meets a groups of kids to hang with and play soccer with too. Santi has his ups and downs, but it’s a great learning experience. Both he and his grandmother work everything out.

I love how this graphic novel is in English & Spanish. It is a great read. This would be a great middle grade addition to any library or classroom. I like that it’s going to be a series.

I received an electronic ARC from Random House Children's through NetGalley.
Santi is nervous about spending a month with his Abuela. He is going to spend time with her and to work on his Spanish. His father's family is from Columbia and he wants to become more fluent in this second language. Readers see him struggle and improve. I appreciate that Anta showed the problems by blacking out the language he couldn't understand. This allows readers the same experience. We see how much more he comprehends and speaks as he finds friends, joins their soccer team, and engages with his Abuela. The relationships are not smooth. Santi is deeply hurt when he overhears Abuela and her friends laughing at his Spanish; he also feels hurt when his new friend and teammate mocks him for not knowing a Columbian slang term. He withdraws and has to face the consequences of his actions including his Abuela getting hurt. We see him mature and figure out who he wants to be. By the end, he realizes how far he has come and what matters.
This is the first of a series and I look forward to the next book.
Told in English and Spanish.

Really fun and sweet story about a Colombian-American boy who spends the summer with his grandmother to practice his Spanish. There's excellent, age appropriate content about the challenges and shame associated with being a non-Spanish speaking Latinx person and the difficulties are expressed in an empathetic way. Part of a series of interconnected stories, the next volume will be released in 2026.

I adored this graphic novel. I loved how much Spanish it incorporated and the way it set up the translations. Santi's relationship with his grandmother was really sweet, and I appreciated how we got to see that even when someone loves you and wants to do right by you they can still do things that hurt you without realizing, and that those things do still matter. I think Santi's frustrations felt very realistic and natural, and the way he reacted in other areas of his life to compensate made a lot of sense. We got to see Santi make several friends throughout this graphic, and I'm excited to see more books are planned that will center them. I'll definitely read more of these, and would highly recommend others check them out as well.

This novel is such a perfect addition to any middle school library. Speak Up, Santiago! is the perfect example of how to utilize graphic novels to further your storytelling. Julio Anta manages to provide readers a real way to empathize and feel what Santi experiences as he is working on improving his Spanish. Even if you have never experienced that exact situation before in your life you can empathize and truly see the impact it can have on a person's life. As someone who experiences this myself and is teased for my "gringa" accent this book felt especially impactful to me. I cannot wait to purchase for our library!

Speak Up, Santiago follows Santiago on a one month (?--they say one month at the beginning but then he participates in a soccer tournament 6 weeks after his arrival) visit to his grandmother in Hillside Family. Santiago is proud of how much Spanish he has learned at home, but he is unprepared for full immersion. Even as his Spanish improves, he experiences confidence set backs, overhearing others disparaging his language skills. Santiago also meets up with some new friends (who will be the focus of later books in this series) as his new soccer team.

+: Solid representation for multi-racial young readers. The author does a good job of demonstrating Santiago's Spanish skills by switching between translated text and Spanish text with missing words.

-: it seems odd to kick off a series about a group of kids with the first book being about a kid who lives in another city most of the year.

This fits right in with the type of graphic novels my students love like Miss Quinces, so it will be a buy for my school library.