{"product_id":"val-vega-secret-ambassador-of-earth-9798989270903","title":"Val Vega: Secret Ambassador of Earth","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"A captivating, heartfelt tale about family, diplomacy, and finding one's place in the universe.\" - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eVal Vega figured that in her junior year of high school, all she'd have to worry about was getting a decent score on the SATs, captaining the softball team, and figuring out her unrequited crush on her cute nonbinary bestie. Then Val discovers a family secret she never expected: her tío Umberto is Earth's ambassador to an interstellar council of planets, and his unexpected death installs Val as his successor.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTwo Galactic empires are on the brink of war, and only Val can salvage interstellar peace. She has to hammer out treaties with giant jellyfish-shaped aliens that float like zeppelins, gets abducted by underground insurgents, and has to navigate the divisions of a colonized planet where telepathy puts every thought and every conflict out in the open. Her impossible task is even harder since Earth is known across the Galaxy as a violent, self-destructive backwater planet with intolerable humidity. Worse, she learns her uncle's death was no accident - he was assassinated, and the prime suspects are the three aliens Val trusted as her uncle's allies.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOut of her depth and with the weight of two worlds on her shoulders, Val must solve her uncle's murder and bring peace to the Galaxy-all while helping her grieving family, managing the dramas of her friends, and getting a passing grade in trig.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBen Francisco's debut novel is a Latinx space adventure populated by diverse humans and aliens who break the binaries of Earth and the Galaxy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Aventura Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50606611136786,"sku":"9798989270903","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_ec096d20-d543-4958-bc4d-ca3fd4e745e2.jpg?v=1732296975","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/val-vega-secret-ambassador-of-earth-9798989270903","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}