Michele M. Serros

"At her privileged prep school, sophomore Evie Gomez hangs out with her fellow Mexican American 'Flojos' and steers clear of the 'Sangros,' a snobbish clique of girls from Mexico. When her former best friend, Dee Dee, returns from four years in Mexico and connects with the Sangros, Evie faces critical decisions. Should she restore her friendship with Dee Dee and become a Sangro, or remain loyal to the Flojos?

"The story of Michele Serros' journey to becoming a writer, How to be a Chicana Role Model (2000), is structured around 13 rules for success, beginning with Rule Number 1: Never Give Up An Opportunity to Eat for Free, and ending with Rule Number 13: Answer All Fan Mail. Serros credits her own beginnings as a writer, in part, to a letter of despair she wrote to children's author Judy Blume when she was 11 years old.