copyright date: September 2011
primarily marketed for: young adults (12 and up)
I am a sucker for a novel told in verse. I am a sucker for anything having to do with Mexican
culture. I am a sucker for a metaphor
involving a tree. I am a sucker for a
novel that makes me feel. So, needless to say, Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall has found its way
into my heart.
The protagonist, Lupita, is the oldest of 8 siblings! She is used to caring for her brothers and sisters
and almost has a friendship with her mother as opposed to a mother-daughter
relationship. But there are still some
things her mother doesn’t think Lupita is ready to hear. When Lupita hears her parents whispering and
realizes they are keeping something from her, she demands to know the truth,
and finds out that her mother has cancer.
From that point forward, Lupita’s life will never be the
same. She does all she can to keep her
family together while her mother fights a battle for her life.
Lupita finds her own way of coping with all that is happening
to her family—by writing in a journal beneath the mesquite tree behind her
house.
Her words tell the beautiful story of a young girl trying to
become who she is in the midst of her mother’s illness, the needs of her 7 siblings,
the Mexican and American cultures to which she belongs, and her own developing
talents as a writer and actress.
This book begs to be read while resting beneath a tree.
I have this, but still haven't opened it, Christy. It sounds so poignant & a difficult read. But also sounds beautiful. Thanks!
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