The Gallery of Unfinished Girls
Publisher
HarperTeen
Publication Year
2017
ISBN
9780062467775
Pages
340 pages
Genre
realism
Format
novel
Item Type
Fiction
Annotation
Mercedes Moreno is an artist. At least, she thinks she could be, even though she hasn't been able to paint anything worthwhile in the past year. Her lack of inspiration might be because her abuela is in a coma. Or the fact that Mercedes is in love with her best friend, Victoria, but is too afraid to admit her true feelings. Despite Mercedes's creative block, art starts to show up in unexpected ways. A piano appears on her front lawn one morning, and a mysterious new neighbor invites Mercedes to paint with her at the Red Mangrove Estate. At the Estate, Mercedes can create in ways she hasn't ever before. But Mercedes can't take anything out of the Estate, including her new-found clarity. Mercedes can't live both lives forever, and ultimately she must choose between this perfect world of art and truth and a much messier reality.
Grade Level
9-12
Lexile Measure
HL780L
Diversity Topics
Family Relationships; LGBTQ (Gender and Sexuality); Divorce; Family member death; Bisexuality; ill grandparent; lesbian; bisexual teenager; divorced parents
Main Character
female teenager
Race/Ethnicities
Hispanic; Puerto Rican
Awards
Rainbow List, 2019 Young Adult Fiction
Cybils Awards, 2017, Nominee, Young Adult Fiction
Keywords
artist; love; painting; unrequited love; loss
Diversity Impact
indirect
STARS Citation
Karcz, Lauren, "The Gallery of Unfinished Girls" (2017). Diverse Families. 2144.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/diversefamilies/2144