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—School Library Journal
La familia de Mari se encuentra a la deriva, con una gran necesidad de trabajo, pero se ve forzada a esconderse por miedo a que las autoridades los devuelvan a México y a la pobreza.
La familia de Tyler lucha por salir adelante. Después de un accidente con un tractor que deja la granja que tienen en Vermont al borde de la quiebra, necesitan conseguir gente nueva que trabaje allí, de inmediato.
Conocerse representa un golpe de suerte para ambas familias pues salvan la granja y Mari consigue un nuevo hogar, pero también surgen preguntas. A Tyler lo inquieta la presencia de los trabajadores mexicanos. ¿Son indocumentados? ¿Su propia familia infringió la ley al contratarlos? Mientras que Mari se siente dividida entre sus raíces mexicanas y su nueva vida en Vermont. Le preocupa dejar ir el pasado y hay pedacitos que no quiere soltar…
En una novela llena de esperanza pero sin respuestas fáciles, Julia Alvarez muestra cómo la amistad es capaz de traspasar fronteras.
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After Tyler's father is injured in a tractor accident, his family is forced to hire migrant Mexican workers to help save their Vermont farm from foreclosure. Tyler isn’t sure what to make of these workers. Are they undocumented? And what about the three daughters, particularly Mari, the oldest, who is proud of her Mexican heritage but also increasingly connected her American life. Her family lives in constant fear of being discovered by the authorities and sent back to the poverty they left behind in Mexico. Can Tyler and Mari find a way to be friends despite their differences?
In a novel full of hope, but no easy answers, Julia Alvarez weaves a beautiful and timely story that will stay with readers long after they finish it.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
September 14, 2010 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9780375897054
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9780375897054
- File size: 2018 KB
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Languages
- Spanish; Castilian
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Levels
- ATOS Level: 5.9
- Interest Level: 4-8(MG)
- Text Difficulty: 4
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Reviews
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November 10, 2008
After Tyler’s father’s accident, his family hires undocumented Mexican workers in a last-ditch effort to keep their Vermont farm. Despite his reservations, Tyler soon bonds with a worker’s daughter, who is in his sixth-grade class. His problems seem small compared to Mari’s: her family fears deportation, and her mother has been missing since re-entering the States months ago. While this novel is certainly issue-driven, Alvarez (Before We Were Free
) focuses on her main characters, mixing in Mexican customs and the touching letters that Mari writes to her mother, grandmother and even the U.S. president. Readers get a strong sense of Tyler’s growing maturity, too, as he navigates complicated moral choices. Plot developments can be intense: Mari’s uncle lands in jail, and her mother turns out to have been kidnapped and enslaved during her crossing. Some characters and sentiments are over-the-top, but readers will be moved by small moments, as when Tyler sneaks Mari’s letter to her imprisoned uncle, watching as the man puts his palm on the glass while Tyler holds up the letter from the other side. A tender, well-constructed book. Ages 8–12.
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