Nacer bailando

Book Cover
Average Rating
Publisher
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication Date
[2011]
Language
Español

Description

Un año de revelaciones culmina con una actuación llena de sorpresas, mientras dos niñas descubren su lugar en el mundo.Un año de revelaciones culmina con una actuación llena de sorpresas, mientras dos niñas descubren su lugar en el mundo. México es el país de sus padres, pero no el de Margie. Ella ha logrado convencer a sus compañeros de escuela que es cien por ciento estadounidense, igual que ellos. Pero cuando Lupe, su prima mexicana, va a vivir a su casa, la imagen de sí misma que había creado se deshace. La situación de Lupe no es fácil. Siente que su casa de México no es un hogar desde que el padre se fue al norte. La esperanza de poder encontrarlo en los Estados Unidos le da algo de consuelo, pero aprender un idioma nuevo en una escuela nueva representa un gran desafío. Al igual que Margie, Lupe necesita una amiga. Poco a poco, los pasos de cada niña van encontrando el ritmo de un baile compartido, a medida que descubren el verdadero significado del hogar. Siguiendo la tradición de Me llamo María Isabel, Alma Flor Ada y su hijo Gabriel M. Zubizarreta ofrecen un relato honesto de los valores de la familia y de la amistad, y de la experiencia que debe atravesar el inmigrante: volverse parte de algo nuevo y, a la vez, conservar la propia identidad.

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ISBN
9781442420618

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Published Reviews

Booklist Reviews

Ten-year-old Margie has spent her entire life trying to fit in—to pass as an American—despite the fact that her parents were born in Mexico. Then, her Mexican cousin Lupe comes to live with them, and her plan goes awry. At first, she resents Lupe for her foreign ways and for monopolizing her parents' attention; later, she comes to love Lupe as a sister and appreciate the Mexican part of her heritage. Margie begins to master Spanish, enjoys celebrating Navidad, and participates in a Cinco de Mayo folklorico dance at school. Ada, the author of many multicultural titles, including Tales Our Abuelitas Told: A Hispanic Folktale Collection (2006), and Zubizarreta write knowingly of the difficulties of a life lived in two cultures. A subplot involving Lupe's father (who came to America illegally and later abandoned his family) is also well handled, as is the inclusion of a Ruben Dario poem, "To Margarita." Give this to fans of Pam Muñoz Ryan's Esperanza Rising (2000) and Becoming Naomi Leon (2004). Copyright 2011 Booklist Reviews.

Copyright 2011 Booklist Reviews.
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Publishers Weekly Reviews

Working with a potentially rich multicultural family story, Ada (Under the Royal Palms) and first-time author Zubizarreta instead deliver a timely but lifeless novel about a Mexican-American girl in California and her newly arrived Mexican cousin. The 11-year-olds—Margarita, who insists on being called Margie and regularly refers to her Texas birth, and Lupe, who barely speaks English—come across as little more than mouthpieces for the authors' message. While the opening chapter, in which Margarita unhappily brings Lupe to her own classroom, is promising, the authors rely too much on descriptions and summaries, forgoing opportunities to "show, don't tell." Margarita's dismay over losing her hard-won Americanism is realistically age-appropriate, but Lupe seems overly mature. Facing her long-lost father, she thinks: "The same painful longings that had nourished all of her fantasies were now fueling her anger against this man who seemed to enter into and disappear from her life so easily." Margarita's eventual appreciation of her heritage and Lupe's adjustment to her new country are predictable and too easily come by to have true emotional resonance. A Spanish-language edition, Nacer Bailando, is available simultaneously. Ages 8–12. (July)

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School Library Journal Reviews

Gr 3–6—Margie is proud to be an American, born in the United States. Her parents were born in Mexico and so was her cousin, Lupe, who has come to stay with Margie's family in California. At first Margie is excited, but that enthusiasm dissipates when Lupe is placed in her classroom. She doesn't speak English, and Margie's teacher expects her to translate for her. A couple of classroom bullies seem bent on belittling the cousins' heritage. Margie is relieved when Lupe is transferred to a bilingual class, leaving a desk near her for the newest classmate, Camille. The girls become great friends. When they're given a journal assignment, Camille models what it's like to have a passion as she thinks, researches, and writes about dolphins. Lupe stays after school to learn folkloric dances, and the book concludes with a performance that helps Margie understand how American she is and how her Mexican heritage fits into her identity. This story will assist readers in embracing their own heritage and developing an appreciation for their classmates' backgrounds. It's an enjoyable offering (and a great read-aloud) that will capture readers' attention and have them rooting for the cousins and their friendships and family relationships. A Spanish-language edition, Nacer Bailando, is available simultaneously.—Helen Foster James, University of California at San Diego

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Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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