My Thoughts:
The paperback of this book just came out this month, which makes this cheap enough to buy as a class set for 6th or 7th grade classrooms. Inspired by her great grandmother's story of escaping from Mexico to the United States, Dobbs shares a heart breaking debut novel about a 12-year old Petra Luna who carries all of the responsibility for her family on her small shoulders. Her mother died during childbirth and her father is conscripted to fight for the Federales in 1913 Mexico. Petra Luna is responsible for her baby brother, her little sister Amelia and her Abuela. In addition, as a dark skinned Indio, she faces racism and disdain from her own community.
This story is just one heartbreak after another, and Petra Luna must be as tough as the black-coal rock she carries around from her father. Middle grade students cannot help but invest in Petra Luna and her dreams, even when her abuelita says that they are barefoot dreams, which means that as indios who are the poorest of the poor and educated, Petra's dreams are just fantasy and she should understand her place in this world.
From the Publisher:
A tale of one family's perilous journey to cross the U.S. border during the Mexican Revolution that is every bit as relevant and heartbreaking today
It is 1913, and twelve-year-old Petra Luna's mama has died while the Revolution rages in Mexico. Before her papa is dragged away by soldiers, Petra vows to him that she will care for the family she has left—her abuelita, little sister Amelia, and baby brother Luisito—until they can be reunited. They flee north through the unforgiving desert as their town burns, searching for safe harbor in a world that offers none.
Each night when Petra closes her eyes, she holds her dreams close, especially her long-held desire to learn to read. Abuelita calls these barefoot dreams: "They're like us barefoot peasants and indios—they're not meant to go far." But Petra refuses to listen. Through battlefields and deserts, hunger and fear, Petra will stop at nothing to keep her family safe and lead them to a better life across the U.S. border—a life where her barefoot dreams will become reality.
Author: Alda P. Dobbs
Publisher: Sourcebooks for Young Readers
Publication date: August 2, 2022 (paperback)
No comments:
Post a Comment