Under the Mesquite 2012 Pura Belpre Author Award Winner
Grades 6-12
Friday, February 24, 2012
by: Ken Ayala-Gollersrud

Section: Young Adult Book Reviews


Fall/Winter 2011

Reviewed by Ken Ayala-Gollersrud, Teen/Adult Services Librarian, Seattle Public Library, WA

Under the MesquiteThe story of high school senior Lupita, whose mother is diagnosed with cancer, is beautifully told in this haunting novel in verse.  The first novel by poet and Junior High teacher Guadalupe Garcia McCall mirrors her own life, highlighting the difficulty of a teen that has the burden of caring for a household during her mother’s illness. The reader follows the day-to-day reflections of Lupita from competing on her school drama team to caring for her younger siblings when her mother goes for cancer treatment.  The short chapters make for a great junior/senior high read aloud.  Teens and tweens will want to keep an eye for the next novel by this artistic writer.  Highly Recommended  

 

Under the Mesquite. Guadalupe Garcia McCall. New York: Lee and Low Inc, 2011. 224 pp. $17.95 (Hardcover). ISBN 978-1-60060-429-4. Grades 6-12. English with Some Spanish.

 

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