Cuban American Mariana Ruiz's father is a Florida senator who is running for president. Mari hates being forced into the spotlight and, as the campaign progresses, grows increasingly uncomfortable with the lack of privacy. And the father she knows -who cares about the environment, and who shows himself to her when they're spending time one-on-one (not that he has time anymore)-seems to be totally different from Senator Ruiz the candidate. Mari's gradual, initially reluctant involvement in an activism club at school gives her further insight into her dad's voting history: It turns out he supported a bill that allows developers to dump sewage into Florida's main aquifer. With their community under a boil-water order, it's more than a little disillusioning to learn her father's biggest donor pushed for the bill. The question of whether Mari will join the activism club's planned walkout in protest has both personal and political implications-her participation will definitely attract media attention, and also further anger her dad, already upset when she bailed on a national TV show appearance. And Mari isn't sure what her mom wants anymore. This novel's extraordinary premise is made wholly believable because of the complexity, credibility, and nuance of its characters, especially Mari and her parents but also many others, from campaign staff to Mari's family housekeeper and her partner, to various teen activists. (Age 12 and older)

When fifteen-year-old Cuban American Mariana Ruiz's father runs for president, Mari starts to see him with new eyes. A novel about waking up and standing up, and what happens when you stop seeing your dad as your hero--while the whole country is watching.

In this authentic, humorous, and gorgeously written debut novel about privacy, waking up, and speaking up, Senator Anthony Ruiz is running for president. Throughout his successful political career he has always had his daughter's vote, but a presidential campaign brings a whole new level of scrutiny to sheltered fifteen-year-old Mariana and the rest of her Cuban American family, from a 60 Minutes-style tour of their house to tabloids doctoring photos and inventing scandals. As tensions rise within the Ruiz family, Mari begins to learn about the details of her father's political positions, and she realizes that her father is not the man she thought he was.

But how do you find your voice when everyone's watching? When it means disagreeing with your father--publicly? What do you do when your dad stops being your hero? Will Mari get a chance to confront her father? If she does, will she have the courage to seize it?