Middle Grade Monday: The Other Side of the River by Alda P. Dobbs

Image: Sourcebooks

The Other Side of the River by Alda P. Dobbs. 368 p. Sourcebooks, September 6, 2022. 9781728238449. (Review of arc courtesy of author.)

Happy Monday! Happy Labor Day and happy book birthday tomorrow to The Other Side of the River by Alda P. Dobbs. This sequel picks up immediately after the ending of The Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna, which was the author's debut and won a Pura Bel Pré Honor. (Spoiler alert.) Petra, her abuela, little sister and baby brother may have made it across the river and out of Mexico, but their troubles are far from over. 

The refugee camp is getting more and more crowded and smallpox breaks out. The refugees are given a choice to either return to Mexico, where the revolutionaries are gaining ground or find a job and move on. Each decision the family needs to make is daunting. Petra's abuela leans toward returning, but Petra, armed with her talisman, her baby diamond, argues in favor of following her father's directions to start anew in the U.S. The family moves on to San Antonio, where they find a place hovel to rent while Petra looks for work. With each step away from Mexico, she worries about her father-whether he's still alive after having been forced to fight for the Federales, and if so, how the family will reunite. Most of all, she wishes to learn to read, something her abuela calls barefoot dreams.

Though this story, based on the author's family takes place in 1913, issues of immigration, the plight of refugees, and racial prejudice unfortunately persist.

Petra is resourceful and resilient; so much so that readers might forget that she's only twelve-years-old. While she feels responsible for her family, her sister and abuela do their fair share as well, something Petra occasionally forgets. She and her family continue to form community wherever they go as they try to forge a new life in America. There is so much to love here.The voice is engaging and short chapters move the story along, helped by colorful secondary characters and setting. An author's note follows. Finally, I just think that cover is gorgeous!

Hispanic Heritage Month starts on September 15th. I try to book talk diverse books all year long, but these thirty days are a good time to celebrate and highlight stories around Hispanic people and culture. Petra's story is sure to inspire. Both books belong on any library shelf. Highly recommended! Happy reading!

Teen Tuesday: The Reader by Traci Chee (audiobook review)

The Reader by Traci Chee. Sea of Ink and Gold bk. 1. Unabridged audiobook on 10 compact discs. 12.5 hours. Read by Kim Mai Guest. Penguin Random House Audiopublishing, September, 2016. 9780147525710. (Review from audiobook borrowed from the public library)

It's Teen Tuesday! This week's feature is a high fantasy called The Reader. The Reader is author, Traci Chee's debut and the first book in the Sea of Ink and Gold series. Sefia is an orphan who has been on the run with her Aunt Nin ever since her father was brutally murdered years earlier. She has only one item connected to him - a strange rectangular object which opens to reveal paper decorated with odd scratchings. It is a book, but Sefia and nearly everyone in her world are illiterate. She is in grave danger because the powers that murdered her father are after the book, and her. The suspense is high throughout this layered and nuanced book as readers struggle along with Sefia to figure out they mystery.

The audio performance by Kim Mai Guest was well-done, although it took a bit of extra attention to realize that there is a book within the book. There's a light-as-air, musical quality to her voice that is very easy to listen to. A bit of patience is required through the set up but well worth it. The world building here is quite vivid and the writing is lovely. The tension slowly ratchets up and once the pieces began clicking into place, the book ends, leaving readers panting for the next installment. The Speaker is due out November 7.