Bridge by Patrick Jones

Jones, P. (2014). The Alternative: Bridge. Minneapolis, MN: Darby Creek.

Summary: After his father experiences a debilitating accident, José has to make tough decisions for his family. He has to decide how to support them as well as do the right thing for himself. He has to decide whether to stay in school or work full time.

Review: I met Patrick Jones recently at the YALSA Lit Symposium and admired his commitment to writing for reluctant readers and for students of color. This text is at an appropriate reading level for many of my students and it is about an immigrant Latino family who struggles. Unfortunately, Jones' portrayal of family appears to be one of deficit instead of value. José appears to be a martyr for his family with the help of his hero-like teachers.

Diversity: This novel centers around a Latino family.

Suggestions for Teachers: This text would be best in a classroom library. I would have students, especially my Latino students, analyze Jones' portrayal of family.

Reading Level:

1. Quantitative: Lexile 800L, ATOS Book Level9.67-12.01, Flesh-Kincaid 8.32-12.12,8.41-10.81RMM
2. Qualitative: This text is slightly complex; it is chronological. The language is largely contemporary and familiar. Those who have knowledge of immigration issues will have a stronger understanding.

Content Areas: English

Common Core State Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.3
Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.

Relevant links: Teaching Books

Subjects/Themes: family, acceptance, values, immigration

Awards: N/A

Series Information: The Alternative series

The Long Road by Luis Garay

Garay, L. (1997). The long road. Toronto, Canada: Tundra Books.

Summary: War breaks out in Nicaragua when José is visiting his grandmother in town. When he and his mother return, his family has disappeared and their village is in ruins. After several nights traveling by foot, they eventually cross the border. This picture book shows José and his mother's early struggles in a new country.

Review: A beautiful story that many students at my school will identify with.

Diversity: This picture book is a much needed story in classrooms right now especially in recent days when most of America has been watching the US close its doors on small children trying to enter the US for a better life. When I taught a 10th grade newcomer EL class, almost all of the students here in San Francisco had their own border crossing story and many included significant trauma. This book could be in classrooms as a jumping off point for students to share the experiences of leaving sometimes dangerous homes, losing family, and the difficulties children face when learning to live somewhere new. Luis, a Latino boy, represents so many students I know. I wish I knew about this book earlier.

Suggestions for Teachers: This book would be a great read-aloud text especially in an English language class or a newcomer class. It would also be a great text to have facing out in elementary classrooms and will give windows into the lives of immigrant children who come after experiencing trauma.

Reading Level:

1. Quantitative: Lexile 740-1010L, ATOS Book Level 4.97-7.03, Flesh-Kincaid 4.51-7.72, 5.42-7.92 RMM
2. Qualitative: This text is moderately complex; it is chronological and it is the story of a journey which will engage many students. The language is simple although there is a lot of text for each page. It is literal and the illustrations support José's difficult journey. The themes of escape to safety and adjustment to new situations are ones students will be able to understand. Those who have knowledge of war or immigration will have an easier time understanding this text.

Content Areas: Literacy, Family, Immigration, Acceptance, Refugees

Common Core State Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.2
Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.3
Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.9
Compare and contrast the treatment of similar themes and topics (e.g., opposition of good and evil) and patterns of events (e.g., the quest) in stories, myths, and traditional literature from different cultures.

Relevant links: Teaching Books, Immigration unit, Luis Garay website, Teacher's Guide

Subjects/Themes: family, acceptance, perseverance, discrimination, refugees, immigration

Awards: N/A

Series Information: N/A

Sofi Mendoza's Guide to Getting Lost in Mexico by Malín Alegría

Alegría, M. (2007). Sofi Mendoza’s guide to getting lost in Mexico. New York, NY: Simon Pulse.

Summary: Sofi Mendoza is at a peak in her life. She's about to graduate high school and attend UCLA. It's the end of the year and her best friends are excited to attend a party at a classmate's house across the border in Rosarito, Mexico. Sofi is hoping for an opportunity to make a move on her big crush Nick. When the party is over, Sofi finds herself in a much larger dilemma. She is denied entry back into California. Sofi is forced to stay with an aunt whom she's never met until her parents can get a lawyer to argue her case. Family secrets are unveiled and cultural differences between Mexico and the US are highlighted. In the end, Sofi learns a lot about her ethnic heritage and Alegría highlights some of the serious injustices of the border and citizenship.

Review: This book is needed in schools (the references to underage drinking makes me give this book a high school designation). It is a "chick lit"romance that will attract many adolescent girls. There is enough happy ending romance here to please most. The ending is saccharine sweet and unfortunately, an unlikely-hood for most young adults put in this situation. While teens will like this book, I hope they understand that Sofi's status is unique and that the reality would be much dire.

Diversity: Alegría's voice is a much needed voice in YA literature. She gives voice to the Latina experience. Here, the Sofi speaks as a young woman who crossed the border at such a young age that she has no idea that her her immigration status is a lie. Other students could relate to this issue. Alegría also tells the story of culture shock--of what it means to represent a culture and then disappoint others because you are not "truly" Mexican and can't function as an "expert" (don't speak the language, have little knowledge of the country). (I can relate to this experience being half-Chinese, half Thai and speaking neither language.) While, I find this book needed in school libraries, it is not without complaint. Sofi is rather shallow through most of this book. Her need to impress boys and preoccupation with her outfits is ridiculous. Most disappointing is the ending which I find so far from reality. That immigration and deportation issues could be tied up so neatly in a bow within two weeks is far from reality and teens should have the opportunity to read the real dangers and outcomes of this situation in addition to this one. This book does give voice to the families who have a complicated history of living on both sides of the border and going back and forth over time. And my hope is that this book offers conversation and discussion about border issues among our youth. It should not be the only voice on Latino issues, but one of many. I realize that I've been judging this book harshly because it has become one of the handful of books I've read with a Latino protagonist so I want it to be more complicated than it is. I've fallen into Adichie's trap of the danger of a single story. I've read plenty of okay books about young white people and I don't have the same expectations because there are so many books about white people. There are few about Latinos and thus I'm putting all my hopes in one basket, which is unfair.

Suggestions for Teachers: Use this text alongside non-fiction articles about the US/Mexico border and border crossings. This could be one book in a collection of books for lit circles about immigration. This could be an independent reading text in a US history or government class as well.

Reading Level:

1. Quantitative: Lexile 810L, ATOS Book Level 6.3, Flesh-Kincaid 6.4 Readability Grade Level 8.0, RMM 7
2. Qualitative: This text is moderately complex. It is organized chronologically but there are a couple of subplots--what is happening in Mexico, what is happening back home at school. Language is largely contemporary and explicit but there are some words that are in Spanish, but can be defined using the glossary at the end of the book. The text is mostly literal. Students who have some knowledge of Latino culture will more easily comprehend the text.

Content Areas: English, Social Studies, Contemporary Issues

Common Core State Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.3
Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.6
Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.6
Compare the point of view of two or more authors for how they treat the same or similar topics, including which details they include and emphasize in their respective accounts.

Relevant links: Malín Alegría, Teaching History Across Borders, Teaching Tolerance, PBS

Subjects/Themes: Immigration, Undocumented Immigrants, Border, US/Mexico Border

Awards: N/A

Series Information: N/A

Dragon's Gate by Laurence Yep

    

Yep, L. (1993). Golden mountain chronicles (1867): Dragon's gate. New York, NY: Harper Collins.

Summary: Fourteen-year-old Otter has to leave his home in China fast to avoid danger. He joins his Uncle Foxfire in America working on the transcontinental railroad. He realizes the visions of America, the land of golden mountains, were false as he, like the rest of the Chinese including Uncle Foxfire who is renowned like a king in China, are treated like slaves. Yep details the hard work and horrendous working conditions of chiseling a tunnel through the Sierra Nevada during the snowy winter. This is a story of friendship, family and action under oppression.

Review: Yep fills a void that is often skimmed over in elementary classrooms. He is honoring the hard work of Chinese Americans and this tale, similar to Paulsen's Hatchet, has the suspense and drama to keep students hooked, especially our boys.

Suggestions for Teachers: Have students read this book with a CA history unit. Compare it with expository texts and primary source documents about the construction of the transcontinental railroad. Or use this text with a unit on immigration and immigrant experiences in America.

Reading Level:

1. Quantitative: Lexile 730L, ATOS Book Level 6.1, Flesh-Kincaid 5.4, Readability Grade Level 6.1, RMM 6.9
2. Qualitative: The text structure is slightly complex, but overall the plot line is chronological. Language conventions are moderately complex as they are largely explicit and easy to understand. Vocabulary is mostly familiar and conversational and sentence structure has some complex constructions but is primarily simple. The theme is very complex as it is slowly revealed over the course of the work. Knowledge of China and California in the 1860's would be helpful as well as some knowledge of Chinese traditions and cultural customs, but overall Yep makes Chinese cultural practices come alive for the reader.

Content Areas: English, Social Studies

Common Core State Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.1
Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3
Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.5
Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or plot.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.6
Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.9
Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres (e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories) in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics.

Relevant links: Scholastic, Harper Collins study guide, Teaching Books, Teaching Multicultural Literature

Subjects/Themes: survival, transcontinental railroad, California history, Chinese immigration, family, friendship, legacy

Awards: Newbery Honor

Series Information: Gold Mountain Chronicles