5 Stars | Efren Divided | Ernesto Cisneros l Realistic Fiction | 2020 | 272 pages | Grades 3 - 6
This book has been on many contender lists for the 2021 Newbery Award and it would not surprise me if it does win. It is a wonderful addition to middle-grade reading and would be a great title for class book clubs or a read-aloud. The teacher would have to be able to read some Spanish. Cisneros does much of the dialogue in Spanish and then uses context clues to help the reader comprehend. He also includes a good glossary at the end for words and phrases. At first, I was a bit intimidated but I was able to get into the rhythm of the book after a few chapters. Including Spanish made this book very realistic.
So what is this book about? It is the story of a loving Latino family of mother, father, middle school son, and kindergarten twins. The children were all born in the United States but the parents are undocumented and crossed the border to look for a better life for their children. They live in California and work hard to barely scrape by but they always can make do. One day, the mother is arrested and deported back to Mexico. Efren is left to help with the younger children. The father begins working around the clock to make money to help get his wife smuggled back home.
There is another storyline where Efren and his best friend are getting involved in running for school president and dealing with typical middle school situations. You will fall in love with Efren. He is such a good kid who has to deal with the heart-wrenching problems of immigration and family separation. I will be rooting for this book to be a Newbery winner!
Click below for my video review of the book.
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