Feral Chicas : The Adult(erated/ified) Figure of the Child in Lilliam Rivera’s YA Novel Dealing in Dreams

Abstract: Lilliam Rivera’s dystopian novel Dealing in Dreams troubles the figure of the child through “adultified” roles in society. I consider how Rivera builds on the Latinx YA literary tradition by presenting self-sufficient minors who engage with the world and produce a new one. I analyze how these roles trouble the adult/child binary and show how minoritized groups negotiate growing up. This reading uses critical children’s studies and queer theory discourses surrounding the child to consider how socialization operates on minoritized children and how Latinx YA literature offers inroads to alternative coming-of-age narratives. Dealing in Dreams expands the agency of the child figure, the category of the young adult novel, and the potential action from its readership.