A Bantam Skylark Book.

Feeling like an outsider when she visits her relatives in Puerto Rico for the first time, eleven-year-old Felita tries to come to terms with the heritage she always took for granted. Nothing about growing up in a strict Hispanic household seems fair. Then Felita learns that one of her dreams will come true--she'll be spending the summer in Puerto Rico with her uncle Jorge. Even though she'll miss her family and her friends--especially Vinny--Felita knows she'll be happy. But Felita's summer isn't at all what she expected. At first none of the girls wants to be friends with a Nuyorican, and Felita desperately wants to go back home. But by summer's end, Felita has grown up a little bit, and what she takes back to New York City is a deeper understanding of herself and her homeland.