Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 10/01/2011 Like the mesquite tree of the title, Lupita is sturdy and able to survive harsh climates with great potential for recovering from stress. Told in verse sprinkled with Spanish terms (a glossary is included), this story of Lupita’s high-school years details her increasing responsibility within her large Mexican American family after Mami is diagnosed with cancer. Caring for seven younger siblings, keeping up with schoolwork and her drama roles, and staying connected with her classmates and friends while the worries gnaw at her take their toll, but she is strong. There are also moments of intense vulnerability. As high-school graduation nears, Lupita sees that her mother may not be there for it: “Suddenly I realize / how much I can’t control, how much / I am not promised.” The close-knit family relationships, especially Mami and Lupita’s, are vividly portrayed, as is the healing comfort Lupita finds in words, whether written in her notebooks or performed onstage. - Copyright 2011 Booklist. School Library Journal - 10/01/2011 Gr 7 Up—This stunning debut novel in verse chronicles the teenage years of Lupita, a character drawn largely from the author's own childhood. Poised to enter her freshman year in high school, Lupita comfortably straddles the country of her birth, Mexico, and that of her family's adoptive country, the United States. She and her seven siblings live with their Mami, a gifted gardener and tender of her brood, and Papi, a hardworking construction worker. When her mother is diagnosed with cancer, the disease begins to sap the family's lives both emotionally and financially. The simplicity of the story line belies the deep richness of McCall's writing. Lupita, a budding actress and poet, describes the new English words she learned as a child to be "like lemon drops, tart and sweet at the same time" and ears of corn as "sweating butter and painted with chili-powdered lime juice." Each phrase captures the essence of a moment or the depth of her pain. The power of Lupita's story lies also in the authenticity of her struggles both large and small, from dealing with her mother's illness to arguments with friends about acculturation. This book will appeal to many teens for different reasons, whether they have dealt with the loss of a loved one, aspire to write and act, are growing up Mexican American, or seeking their own identity amid a large family. Bravo to McCall for a beautiful first effort.—Jill Heritage Maza, Montclair Kimberley Academy, Montclair, NJ - Copyright 2011 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Bulletin for the Center... - 01/01/2012 The oldest of eight children in a close-knit Mexican-American family, Lupita, protagonist of this verse novel, is starting freshman year and processing her mother’s big secret: uterine cancer. The story follows Lupita through her four years of high school, focusing on her newfound love for the performing arts (a passion that she later describes as her “life raft”), her success in straddling both her Mexican and her American identities, and, through it all, her family’s trials in supporting Mami, who initially beats the cancer but then suffers a recurrence in Lupita’s junior year. While not blatantly autobiographical, much of the novel is rooted in McCall’s own experiences, and at times Lupita’s emotions are filtered through an adult’s perspective. Still, her voice is powerful and tremendously honest, particularly in detailing the eventual loss of her mother. The titular mesquite tree serves as both a literal reference to the tree that grows among her mother’s rose bushes and a metaphor for the tree’s renowned adaptability and ability to reach out to find sustenance. This is ultimately a coming-of-age story of a girl who manages to build on her strengths as she copes with emotional hardship, and McCall’s is a fresh new voice in Latino/a writing. An extensive glossary of names, words, and cultural references is included. HM - Copyright 2012 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. School Library Journal - 01/01/2013 Gr 6 Up—This autobiographical novel in verse chronicles Lupita's coming of age set against the backdrop of her mother's cancer diagnosis. I love the way that the author begins with the diagnosis, and then follows up with a section of poems about her memories of growing up. She then returns to the present, and the final section deals tenderly with the loss of her mother, and the way her father helps the family through the crisis with quiet strength. This novel rightfully won the Pura Belpré Author Award and it deserves wide exposure. I particularly appreciate the glossary of names, Spanish words, and cultural references, which ties readers to the world of South Texas and the Latino culture that is so prevalent in that region. - Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
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