Ms. Nichols Reads

  Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan   Bibliography Ryan, Pam Munoz. 2002. New York, NY; Scholastic. ISBN 9780439120425 Plot Summary This is the story of Esperanza, the daughter of a wealthy farmer in Mexico. She is raised with servants and beautiful dolls and dresses, and anything her heart desires. All that changes in the blink of a moment when a fire takes everything from Esperanza, including her beloved father. Now Esperanza and her mother must escape to America where they will find jobs working in the fields of California. Life becomes very difficult for Esperanza, but with the help of her mother and some new friends and acquaintances, she learns to grow from her hardships.  Critical Analysis (Including cultural markers) The fact that this story begins in Mexico is a great reminder to the reader of all the cultural inclusiveness that comes with the Hispanic Culture. Spanish is continuously being thrown in the story to bring about a more realistic experience. The phys...

  Viva Frida by Yuyi Morales Bibliography Morales, Yuyi. 2014. VIVA FRIDA. New York, NY; Roaring Brook Press. ISBN 1596436034 Plot Summary This is a children’s illustrated book about the life of the famous Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo. Portrayed as Kahlo’s inner thoughts and wishes, the reader seemingly becomes acquainted with a more personal side of the now immortalized artist.  Critical Analysis (Including cultural markers) There isn’t much to say about this story as a whole. I honestly was not a big fan of this book. I think there may have been about 40 words written in the entire story, and half of those include translations into English; that’s it. There could have been a bit more of a story line and I think I would have enjoyed it more. On the positive side, this book would be perfect for a student who is learning English because the entirety of it is written in Spanish, then translated into English. It is also great for beginning readers because of the sparse amount of w...

I am not your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez Bibliography Sanchez, Erika L. 2019. I AM NOT YOUR PERFECT MEXICAN DAUGHTER. Toronto, ON; Penguin Random House Canada. ISBN 1524700517 Plot Summary This is the story of Julia Reyes, a 17 year old high school senior, looking forward to graduating and going off to college. Julia is trying to overcome the sudden death of her sister from a bus accident, while still attempting to please her overbearing and never satisfied Mexican immigrant parents. Through pain and time, Julie learns to love and accept her family for who they are and to understand what challenges they endured in their past lives to make them the way they are.  Critical Analysis (Including cultural markers) This story pulled at my heartstrings in more ways than one. There were so many layers to this book and I absolutely loved it! Although there were some more mature and graphic themes in this novel, I would recommend this story to high school girls, especially t...

Yum! Mmmm! Que Rico! By Pat Mora Bibliography Mora, Pat. 2007. YUM! MMMM! QUE RICO!. New York, NY; Lee & Low Books. ISBN 1600608922. Plot Summary Yum! Mmmm! Que Rico! Is an illustrated children’s book that depicts different foods that play an important role in the hispanic culture. These foods vary from blueberries, chiles, and chocolate to corn, cranberries, and papayas. Along with this wide variety of food, comes a short description of how that food came about.  Written in haiku format, Pat Mora presents a historical and culturally inclusive story that children will want to take a bite out of. Critical Analysis (Including cultural markers) This is a story, unlike any that I have read before. I wouldn’t even necessarily consider it a story, as there doesn’t seem to be a main character, or really a plot to go along with it. Actually, this book more-or-less discusses foods found in the hispanic culture and how it relates to certain scenarios.  The illustrations in this st...

  Ghost by Jason Reynolds A: Bibliography Reynolds, Jason. 2016. GHOST. New York, NY; Simon & Schuster. ISBN 1481450166. B: Plot Summary Castle Crenshaw, otherwise known as Ghost, is a troubled little boy that comes from a difficult neighborhood. He finds comfort in the structure of running track. With the help of his coach, Ghost learns to turn away from anger and the difficulties that come from living where he does, and focus on improving his talents and athletic abilities.  C: Critical Analysis (Including cultural markers) What a whirlwind of a read! I am so glad this is just book one of a series, because I wasn’t ready for the story to be over when I reached the end. My heart went out to Ghost and everything he had to deal with that was way beyond his maturity level.  Culturally speaking, nearly every character in this novel was African American. The difficulties that these characters faced due to their race and poverty stricken neighborhood all play factors into ...

    Blended by Sharon Draper A: Bibliography Draper, Sharon. 2018. BLENDED. New York, NY; Simon & Schuster. ISBN 1442495014 . B: Plot Summary Isabella is an eleven year girl who is learning to navigate her new life as she copes with her parents’ divorce. One tricky hurdle that Isabella must jump through is the circumstances of her race. Her mother is white and her father is black. Isabella struggles to feel accepted and understood. As the story progresses the reader is able to see how Isabella’s struggles and difficulties begin to affect her in a negative light.  C: Critical Analysis (Including cultural markers) This book is one that I think many people would be able to relate to. Children of divorced parents would be able to relate to Isabella. Bi-Racial children would be able to relate to Isabella. Even just preteen girls could relate to Isabella. Because of this, this novel would be an excellent addition to any library.  At times, the content displayed in ...

  Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson A: Bibliography Woodson, Jacqueline. 2014. BROWN GIRL DREAMING. London, UK: Penguin Group. ISBN 9780147515827.   B: Plot Summary This is the story of little Jacqueline Woodson as she grows up in a time when African Americans are not treated with equality or respect. Woodson takes the reader through her childhood, alternating between locations in the North and South. Along this journey of self-discovery, Woodson discovers the importance of staying true to yourself and your personal values and beliefs.  C: Critical Analysis (Including cultural markers) This was such an enjoyable read! It is definitely a book I will have to read again in the future. I enjoyed the point of view of the little girl, and found myself relating to her time and time again; despite the fact that she made it very clear that we have different ethnicities. Furthermore, both the main character and myself’s childhoods look very at different surface level, but...