Reviewed by Wendy Bermudez Review Source: Independent Book Author: Olita (Holly) is a young Salvadoran-American girl who is visiting her family and friends in El Salvador. As soon as she arrives, her family members invite her to attend Manyula’s birthday party. The children make their way to Manyula’s house: jumping over puddles and walking under […]
Mamá the Alien // Mamá la Extraterrestre
Reviewed by Wendy Bermudez Review Source: Independent Book Author: Mamá the Alien is a humorous story about how one word with two different meanings can be interpreted by a young Latina girl. Sofia only knows one definition for the word alien; one that means a creature from outer space. When Sofia finds her mother’s identification […]
Home at Last
Reviewed by Katelyn Campbell Review Source: Independent Book Author: Home at Last shares the story of a small child, Lester, struggling to adjust during his transition from foster care into a new home with his two adopted fathers. Although Lester is excited to join his new family and their dog from the start of the story, […]
Mississippi Morning
Reviewed by Matthew Smee Review Source: Independent Book Author: Ruth Vander Zee’s Mississippi Morning tells the story of James, a young white boy growing up in rural Mississippi during the Jim Crow era. It’s 1933 and James’s father (Pa) owns the local hardware store. Pa’s store is a popular place, where locals gather to discuss issues […]
Rainbow Weaver / Tejedora de Arcoiris
Teaching Ideas Reviewed by Rebecca Lehr Review Source: Independent Book Author: Reviewer Rebecca Lehr is an art teacher at a bilingual elementary school in Arlington, Virginia. In a rural village in the Guatemalan Highlands, young Ixchel is anxious to learn the ancient art of weaving from her mother. Ixchel adores the vibrant colors and patterns of […]
Ada’s Violin: The Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay
Reviewed by Maria Brescia-Weiler Review Source: Independent Book Author: The story of Ada’s Violin begins in the town of Cateura, Paraguay, home to Asunción’s largest garbage dump and a girl with an early interest in music. Almost everyone Ada knows works as a ganchero, sifting through the piles of trash for recyclable goods. Just as Ada […]