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We Take School POs
A So-Called Vacation
Contributor(s): Gonzalez, Genaro (Author)

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ISBN: 1558855459     ISBN-13: 9781558855458
Publisher: Pinata Books
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Binding Type: Paperback - See All Available Formats & Editions
Published: May 2009
Qty:
Temporarily out of stock - Will ship within 2 to 5 weeks
Additional Information
BISAC Categories:
- Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes - General (see Also Headings Under Family)
- Juvenile Fiction | People & Places - United States - Hispanic & Latino
Dewey: FIC
LCCN: 2009003479
Age Level: 14-17
Grade Level: 9-12
Physical Information: 0.57" H x 5.52" W x 8.52" L (0.58 lbs) 195 pages
Themes:
- Ethnic Orientation - Chicano
- Geographic Orientation - Texas
- Geographic Orientation - California
Features: Ikids
Review Citations: Kirkus Review - Children 04/15/2009
Multicultural Review 07/01/2009 pg. 83
School Library Journal 08/01/2009 pg. 103
Booklist 10/01/2009 pg. 38
 
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
Publisher Description:
Brothers Gabriel and Gustavo, high school students in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, are horrified when their father suggests that they spend the summer in California doing field work to earn extra money. They're not immigrants; the boys and their younger sister Paula were born in Texas, and the idea of picking fruits and vegetables--hard labor usually associated with undocumented workers--is totally humiliating. But their father thinks working in the fields will be good for his children. After all, the experience didn't hurt him when he was a kid. "Look at me. I didn't die. All that work made me stronger." Gustavo, heading into his senior year, doesn't want to leave his girlfriend. And what will all his friends think? Gabriel doesn't care what anyone thinks; he's just not interested in spending the summer doing back-breaking labor. It's only when the promise of visiting Disneyland, after working the fields, is offered that they ultimately agree to the "vacation." Before long the family finds itself in a migrant camp, living in a shack with no electricity or bathroom. Toiling in the fields by day, trying to get the hang of picking strawberries, the boys and their father attempt to make sense of it all, including the motives and hopes of their fellow workers: the manic Borrado brothers, who are the fastest pickers around, and Victor, who introduces them to the canal where the migrant teens swim, even though two boys drowned there last season. Unfortunately, while learning their way around town, the family members experience the racism frequently directed at recent immigrants. How often, Gabriel wonders, has he done the same thing and dismissed someone just for being in the U.S.illegally? In this illuminating novel for teens that sheds light on the subjects of immigrant labor and prejudice within the Hispanic community, Genaro Gonzalez blends the ageless theme of fathers and sons at odds with a contemporary issue weighing on many minds. While set in a place unfamiliar to many, the characters' hopes and dreams for the future will resonate with young adult readers.
 
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