Cuba in My Pocket: a refugee's tale of uncertainty & hope

 

Cuba in My Pocket, the middle grades historical fiction chapter book by award-winning author, Adrianna Cuevas, tells the story of 12 year old Cumba who, in 1961, is forced to flee Santa Clara for the U.S. in order to avoid being drafted into the military for Fidel Castro.  Based on the author's family history, the book is full of intimate details that can only be from the perspective of someone who lived it.  The story is one that should be shared with middle grade readers on up because it tells the important part of history, how governments impact people's lives, and the real accounts of people who risked it all in order to have a chance at a future for themselves and their families.  

Cumba's relationships with his family and friends in Cuba are the most memorable parts of the story.  They play dominoes, cook delicious meals, go looking for flowers and even discuss how their lives have changed after Fidel came to power.  Readers can continue with learning about these parts of Cuban history and culture by looking at photos and videos of Cuba prior to the 1960s and afterwards.  Cumba relies on the strength of these relationships to propel him towards the unknown in the U.S. and holds on to the promise of reuniting with them again.  

Cumba's journey to the U.S. is another important part of the story that readers will never forget. From his flight to Miami with another young girl traveling alone who doesn't understand the language or even how to put on a seat belt, they rely on the kindness of other passengers to guide them through.  Cumba's school experience in Miami is like being pulled into a rip tide because of the cacophony of noise, not being able to practice his English, and his teachers not making any attempts to help him.  This is especially gripping to me as a teacher.  Thankfully he does make an American friend who makes going to school more tolerable, but the PTSD that Cumba has as a result of living in a militaristic society, is keeping him from moving on.

The reader also learns about the role the Catholic Church had in taking in young children from Cuba and sending them to foster families across the U.S.  Cumba and his house-mates use the Catholic Welfare Services to help them locate their family and friends who were supposed to be coming to the U.S.  If readers want to continue learning about this part of history there are many resources that offer more glimpses into how the church supported Cuban immigrants.

When Cumba gets sent to a foster family in Key Largo his story does change for the better.  School is a complete change as his teachers help him learn the content through visuals and study tips.  He even reunites with a friend from Santa Clara and they bond over being the only Cubans in school.  Even when he gets bad news from home and feels helpless he knows he can rely on his friend to understand exactly what he's feeling: helpless and guilty.   Here they are enjoying life in Key Largo while their families are experiencing torture in Cuba.  I think other immigrants can relate to this feeling, too.  We are grateful for being able to be here in the U.S. but also have guilt that our family members are struggling in our home countries.   

I applaud Cuevas for writing this story and honoring her family's history.  The photos and glossary at the end of the book offer more details about the Spanish language and why she chose to write her father's story.  As an adult, I learned a lot about Cuba's history and how refugees were treated during this time.  It would be a good book for grades 4 and up. Here is the author talking about the book in her own words:

Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna: the true cost of war

 

Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna by Alda P. Dobbs is a historical fiction, #ownvoices story of the author's great-grandmother who trekked across Mexico during the 1913 revolution towards the U.S. border.  This is an important chapter book that is excellent for grades 3 and up.  Although this is a refugee, war story, readers can still relate to the characters and their emotions since they are all universal themes of family, friendship, hope and love.

12 year-old Petra whose mother passed away a year ago is grappling with the trauma of her father being forced to fight in the revolution.  Alone in her village with her aging grandmother and two younger siblings, Petra is forced to lookout for their well-being.  Her father promises to return as she remembers his words before he left, "in a world full of darkness and uncertainty, there's always enough rom for one more promise."  Petra clings to the hope of reuniting with her father after the war.  Readers can discuss times when they were forced to say goodbye to loved ones and what that felt like.  Did they make plans to stay in touch or reunite one day?  Why does that offer comfort?

When the Federales, "the monsters" who are the army for the government of Huerta, attack their village, Petra and her family must flee or be killed.  Petra thinks, "My home, my life--everything I knew was gone.  There was nothing to come back to.  I thought about Papa and prayed that one day we'd find each other."  Readers can try to imagine what they would do in Petra's situation.  Would they stay close-by in case her father returned or risk losing touch with him if they left their village?  

 Using their wits and knowledge of their ancestors, they make their way north meeting various groups of people along the way who offer advice, hope and friendship to Petra who desperately needs the encouragement.  "...sincere friendships can sprout even amid the darkest moments and places."  These friends provide a safe space for Petra to share her insecurities and develop a sense of confidence in her abilities.  Readers can share people in their lives who offer this support and even think about who they offer their support to, as well.

The story is quite well-told with Spanish words and folklore mixed in that adds authenticity to the characters and their mindsets.  The relationship that Petra has with her grandma and younger siblings is touching and relatable for many readers.  She faces prejudice for being darker-skinned so others look down upon her.  Readers can discuss ways in which prejudice still exists in the world today.  How does that affect how people earn money to support their families?

The author's note at the end explains more about how Dobbs' great-grandmother escaped the war and fled to the U.S.  She provides a timeline that explains the complicated history of power in Mexico and is helpful for even adults to read and understand.  I hope that this book makes its way into many classrooms, libraries, and book clubs.  Refugee perspectives are so often left out of history books that the more we have them, the better we can empathize with their circumstances.  Here is a free teaching guide that goes with the book for more ideas on how to use it with students.

Poetry Month: 25 middle grade novels-in-verse

 April is National Poetry Month but we really celebrate the art of language all year long.  Stories that are told through verse are interesting ways to read, reflect, and listen to narratives.  Our students find that reading a novel-in-verse is another experience in reading in that it often goes by quickly and they are tempted to go back and re-read lines and phrases that stick out to them.  

All of these books listed below would be ideal for book clubs or just for reading and reflecting on one's own. From historical fiction, to biographies, realistic fiction, memoirs, immigration, religion, refugees, family, friendships, sports, school, bullying, identity and travel, these stories below have something for everyone.  

Novels-in-Verse

Unbound and All the Broken Pieces by Ann E. Burg

Solo, Swing, The Crossover, Booked, Rebound by Kwame Alexander

Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga

Rhyme Schemer by K.A. Holt

Becoming Muhammad Ali by James Patterson and Kwame Alexander

Love, Love by Victoria Chang

Land of the Cranes by Aida Salazar

Before the Ever After , Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Love That Dog, Hate That Cat by Sharon Creech

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz and Robert Byrd

Planet Middle School by Nikki Grimes

Keeping the Night Watch by Hope Anita Smith and E.B. Lewis

42 Miles by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer and Elaine Clayton

Diamond Willow by Helen Frost

Lifeboat 12: Based on a True Story by Susan Hood

Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy

Gone Fishing by Tamera Will Wissinger and Matthew Cordell

Shanghai Messenger by Andrea Cheng and Ed Young

Bit About Books Winter Reading Challenge 2021

 

Ever since I was young, books offered an escape.  I could travel somewhere else, become a different person and join the characters on their journey for the duration of the book reading, but also, afterwards.  When I'd hear something and could connect it to a character, event or storyline from a story, I knew that books were magical because they could become a part of me.  It is not surprising that as a teacher and librarian I am constantly on the lookout for the best books to read and share with my students, teachers, and community members.  

One way that helps me stay on track with reading is by participating in reading challenges.  It's easy to do when the categories for what to read are intriguing, yet broad enough to find books that fit within them.  Another way that makes it more enjoyable is to share what I am reading for the challenge with others.  I love learning what others are reading and if they like it.  With the high numbers of books being published, word of mouth, seems like the best way to catch the best of the best ones.

This is my first year participating in the Bit About Books Winter Reading Challenge. There are points for each category and you can share what you've read on social media with the hashtag, #bitaboutbooks .  I thoroughly enjoyed this challenge and will participate in future challenges because it pushed me out of my comfort zone to read books I wouldn't usually read on my own: 

FREE CHOICE: When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller 

100-200 Pages: Be Not Far From Me by Mindy McGinnis 

1-Word Title: Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson

Author Debut: Every Body Looking by Candice Iloh

Animal Main Character: Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christian McKay Heidicker

A Direction in the Main Title: Nowhere Boy by Katherine Marsh

A 2021 Publish: Flight of the Puffin by Ann Braden

A Book Set in Country I Don't Live: All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team by Christina Soontornvat

An Award-Winner: When Stars are Scattered by Omar Mohamed and Victoria Jamieson

A Person's Name in the Title: The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh by Candace Fleming

2 Books by the Same Author:  Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky and Tristan Strong Destroys the World by Kwame Mbalia

When Stars are Scattered: "No one chooses to be a refugee."

 

When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed is a graphic novel for grades 4 and up. It is a true story of Omar, a Somalian refugee who must take care of his younger brother, Hassan, in a Kenyan refugee camp while they wait.  Wait for what?  Possibly, for their mother to arrive.  Or for their names to be selected to be interviewed for relocation in Canada or the U.S.  Above all else, they are waiting for their future to take hold.

Despite Omar and Hassan being without parents, the most touching part of this story is the family they make through the friendships they form in the refugee camp. These community bonds keep them from fading away.  Each caretaker, friend, teacher, UN caseworker, all play important roles in the boys' lives.  They each could have their own books where they tell what circumstances led them there and the challenges they face.  

As a teacher and librarian my favorite parts are when the children are in school.  They have the chance to share with one another their future hopes and dreams.  These opportunities allow the children to voice their ambitions and make them feel like they are worthy of those wishes for themselves. 

 In the scene above, the teacher empowers his students by saying, 

"' Throughout your life people may shout ugly words at you, words like, "Go home, refugee!" or "You have no right to be here!" When you meet these people, tell them to look at the stars. How they move across the sky.  No one tells a star to go home. Tell them, "I am a star. I deserve to exist just the same as a star. How do I know? Because here I am. I am here, the proof is in the stars.' "

It was heartbreaking to turn the page and find that 4 years had passed or another 7 years passed.  I think that is what readers will find the most painful. It will lead them to ask the question, why has the rest of the world not done more to help refugees?  It will open the conversation, spark some research, motivate some to take action, but mostly, to have empathy for what refugees endure.

Previewing the book's trailer will help the reader imagine the voice of Omar and the other characters. The publisher's website has an educator guide and more resources.   Readers can also hear the authors in a Read, Write and Draw From Home video where portions of the book are read and art is made.  Seeing the book's authors and hearing them talk about the book in their own words leaves a lasting impact upon the reader.

It comes as no surprise that this book won the Walter Dean Myers Award for Children's Literature in the Younger Readers category and was a finalist for the National Book Award.  

Nowhere Boy: perspective & empathy

Nowhere Boy by Katherine Marsh is a chapter book with alternating points of view that enrich the modern-day story.  First the reader meets Max, a 13 year-old American who has freshly arrived in Brussels, Belgium to live with his family for the year while his father works for NATO.  Max is unhappy to learn that he is being sent to a neighborhood French-speaking school. He struggles to fit in and his lack of understanding the language doesn't help.  Max is also adjusting to seeing a higher number of Muslim followers in his community and the influx of Middle Eastern refugees.

On the alternating chapters the readers meet 14 year-old Ahmed, a Syrian refugee who has lost his family and freshly arrived in Brussels, too.  But when he learns that he will be sent back to where he came from he runs away from the tent city in the center of town and seeks the shelter and safety of Max's cellar.  While Max and his family are away from the house, Ahmed sneaks food and cleans his clothes while deciding what to do next.  

When Max and Ahmed finally cross paths the story picks up the pace and the action increases.  They develop a friendship, trust and bond that brings much understanding to the plight of refugees and stereotypes about terrorists.  The last half of the book is a whirlwind as Max and some of his trusted friends from school help Ahmed in life-altering ways.  When the city goes on lockdown to find an Islamic terrorist, the stakes are even higher to keep Ahmed hidden.

The best part of this story is what Max is learning about the history of hiding Jewish people in his neighborhood during World War II.  These stories cause him to change his ethical views and look outside of himself to do what is right.  Since the author lived in Brussels, the city itself is another important character that comes to life in the story.  

Middle grade readers can connect to this story in many ways.  Prejudice, stereotyping and the push vs. pull factors of immigrating lead to rich discussions about the systems that are in place in our world.  

What would they do if they were in Max's place?  

What would they do if they were in Ahmed's shoes? 

 Readers might also be new to this country. Can they relate to any of the feelings that Max and Ahmed felt arriving in Brussels?

I was able to win a copy of this book through the I'm Your Neighbor group whose focus is on immigration literature. There is a Reader and Educator Guide that is available for free here, too.

 

Everything Sad is Untrue (a true story): childhood memoir

 Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri is a gripping memoir of his childhood in Oklahoma.  He is only a young child when he leaves his country, Iran, to embark on a journey of survival to finally land in Oklahoma.  He recalls his earliest memories of his life in Iran before moving across the world.  With equal parts humor, nostalgia, stark realism mixed with Persian history and poetry, Nayeri weaves a highly emotional story.  It's definitely for an adult audience with complex themes of abuse, drugs, and religion.  

As an immigrant myself, I am drawn to other immigrants' stories of the push and pull factors that led to relocating in the U.S.  Learning about other people's stories allows me to reconnect to my own.