and not adding to it. The message is non-controversial and appropriate for a middle-school readership. An ecocritic wishes López had written more directly about problems such as habitat encroachment and reliance on fossil fuels. Lina could have reflected on decisions made daily by individuals and corporations. At the start of the book, she mentions sharing an interest in “global warming” with Vanessa but does not follow that up explicitly (p. 7). There are many moments where a message about human’s devastation of nature could have been hammered home more obviously, like in a Carl Hiaasen novel; however, that would have made a different novel. The final form of evidence for the environmental theme in Confetti Girl is symbolic, for eggs and their shells made into cascarones represent the life cycle from birth to death. Egg laying “follows cyclical patterns, and therefore symbolizes the life cycle in its entirety” (Werness, 2003, p. 156). In many cultures, eggs containing “the seed of life” connote fertility and the start of new life (Werness, 2003, p. 156). López features eggs repeatedly in the form of cascarones, a Mexican American tradition of decorated confetti eggs. The novel opens with instructions for making cascarones, and Ms. Cantu creates them year-round as a type of therapy and self-expression. Vanessa gets frustrated at having to eat so many eggs and see her mother’s cascarones, but they bring characters together in celebration at the middle school fair and in the Cantu home. At the conclusion, the festive cracking of all the cascarones suggests that a new phase of life is beginning for all the major characters.
ALL PLOTS INTERTWINE WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL THEME The central plot threads of Confetti Girl involve family relationships and romance, and the school subplot and environmental theme weave into the main plots. Lina’s Marine Biology project on whooping cranes and English assignment on Watership Down ultimately bring her closer to her father. The romance plots involve Lina and Luís, Vanessa and Carlos, and the girls’ effort to cheer Ms. Cantu through creating a fictional admirer. In the school subplot, Lina struggles to feel that she has a role through athletics, science, and personality. The environmental theme running through the action is central to the connection between Lina and Luís. The winter excursion to gather data at the Corpus Christi beach has romantic significance as López effectively intertwines the romance and friendship plots with the environmental theme. After gathering data for Luís’s litter analysis project, he and Lina sit on a log looking at
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SIGNAL Journal
the ocean, watching “the pelicans flying by. They look like dinosaur birds. I notice the waves too. I listen as they roll in” (p. 109). Lina’s growing connection with Luís links to their shared appreciation for nature. This beach trip with Lina’s first hand-holding also has the first kiss between Vanessa and Carlos. Narration surrounding Lina’s first kiss also alludes to nature. After Luís unexpectedly kisses her on the cheek in a school hallway, Lina takes a scenic route to her next class, musing, “I never noticed the watercolor paintings in the hall before, pretty flowers and seascapes. I know it’s impossible, but I can smell the flowers and hear the oceans as if the paintings were alive” (p. 132). A newfound sensory awareness intensifies Lina’s happiness. The third key moment occurs when Luís gives her a whelk for a Christmas gift. He asks her to listen to the shell and remember their “special moment on the beach” when they held hands the first time (p. 183). Luís’s gift symbolizes their shared respect for nature; the budding romance grows from mutual interests.
OTHER ACTIVITIES Beyond looking through critical lenses at Confetti Girl (See Appendix A), activities inspired by “sockiophile” Lina include having a crazy sock day and making cascarones according to the instructions at the beginning of the book. Relevant video clips from acclaimed movies are Watership Down, based on the novel Lina studies, rewrites, and eventually reads, and The King’s Speech, about a leader who overcomes his stutter. Students could enjoy variations of Mr. Star’s Marine Biology project in which they examine a specific aspect of their own local environment. They could choose an animal to represent them and research the animal. Supplementing or replacing the traditional literary analysis essay, “alternative book reports” also provide opportunities for artistic, multimedia, and creative writing responses to literature (Kaywell, 2010, p. 118).
CONCLUSION Using diverse approaches to a literary work draws out the multiplicity of meanings and provides students with the creativity of alternative perspectives. Confetti Girl by Diana López reveals the significance the environment holds for a Mexican American girl and shows that the middle school students can make a difference. Nature affects Lina Flores’s relationships, and Luís Mendoza motivates his peers to take action against litter. Readers of any book should look for the environmental messages, whether obvious or hidden,