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Summary
Summary
This English/Spanish story begins as young Amada overhears her parents whisper of moving from Mexico to Los Angeles where greater opportunity awaits. As she and her family journey north, Amada records in her diary her fears, hopes, and dreams for their lives in the United States. Full-color illustrations."
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
The team behind My Very Own Room/Mi propio cuartito again takes its inspiration from an event in the author's childhood, this time exploring the feelings of a Mexican girl on the verge of starting a new life in Los Angeles. While the rest of the family proclaims excitement at their imminent move ("They have escalators to ride!" says one of her five brothers), Amada confides her fears to her journal: "Am I the only one who is scared of leaving our home, our beautiful country, and all the people we might never see again?" Her father tells her, "You are stronger than you think," but Amada isn't sure. In the end, she indeed discovers her strength, as well as a way to keep beloved friends and relatives back in Mexico "in my memories and in my heart." Prez sensitively explores her protagonist's emotional journey, peppering the narrative with details of specific moments-Amada's last walk in the park with her best friend, an uncle's magic trick to keep up the children's spirits. Gonzalez's color-saturated vignettes unfold against eye-catching backdrops of turquoise, yellow, green and purple, and the sweeping brush strokes and bold, slightly stylized features of her characters lend the pages a folk art feel. English and Spanish versions of the text are cleanly worked into the compositions. Ages 6-up. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
(Primary) Through Amada's diary entries, presented in a bilingual text, readers learn that her father has lost his job, so she and her family are moving from Jurez, Mexico, to Los Angeles. Her five brothers are delighted-for them, the United States means big stores full of toys-and Amada feels alone in her leeriness of change: she'll miss her best friend and community and fears she won't master English. While Pap, who was born in Arizona, goes to look for work in Los Angeles and pursue green cards for his family, Amada, her mother, and her brothers stay in the border town of Mexicali with her grandmother, who gives Amada a new journal and admonishes her to ""keep your language and culture alive in your diary and in your heart."" The narrative, which is based on the author's own experience, follows a predictable arc but is affecting nevertheless. Breathtaking throughout are Gonzalez's illustrations, which blaze with color and capture both the hilariously mundane details of life, such as the antics of Amada's unruly brothers, and the imagination's terrain. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
In an autobiographical outing written in English and Spanish, Amada tells her diary all about her fear of moving from her home in Juarez, Mexico, to not only a new town, but also a new country. Fortunately, she has a father who understands her trepidation and he tells her that as a child, he too had to make a similar move in reverse. Still, the trip is fraught with anxiety, especially since once they arrive in Mexicali, another border town, Papa will leave for Los Angeles to look for work. Once she arrives at her grandmother's, she's surrounded by helpful family members, her uncles telling jokes, doing magic tricks, and doing favors. Then she hears from her father who is picking in the fields of Delano, California. His news is not encouraging, but one day, he sends their green cards and they get set to leave for California. The diary follows them on their journey, until they reach Los Angeles and she closes with the news that Papa has found a better job. Filling her story with the details of this watershed in her life, Perez captures the essence of the trauma of moving to a new place that is universal to all children, but here it is expanded by the facts of her immigrant experience. Gonzalez, who teamed with Perez on My Room (not reviewed), packs her lively pages with vibrant, jewel-toned color and vivid images, illuminating the text and adding the richness of the culture. A nice touch is the back of the book jacket, which is a map of the area, showing the route from Amada's old home to the new one. Perez has plainly remembered her grandmother's advice: "Keep your language and culture alive in your diary and in your heart." Very nicely done. (Picture book. 5-9)
Booklist Review
Gr. 2^-4. When young Amada overhears her parents talk about leaving their home in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, to find work in Los Angeles, she confides her fears, hopes, and apprehensions to her diary. In a parallel format, this bilingual edition touchingly describes Amada's concerns, which will resonate with immigrant children who have left their own family, friends, and belongings behind. Papa's reassuring tone and Amada's newly found strength in her new home are beautifully depicted in Gonzalez's imaginative, colorful double-page spreads, which show a Mexican family in busy transition. Unfortunately, in contrast to the sensitive, well-written English version, the Spanish rendition includes several colloquial or nonstandard forms and usages that some parents (and teachers) may consider unacceptable.
